Oknha Im Bros charged with fraud and possession of illegal weapons


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea  

A fortune-teller with the title of Oknha (Tycoon) was arrested on Tuesday and charged by the Kampong Cham provincial court for illegal possession of weapons without authorisation, in addition to his previous charge of defrauding a women for $200,000. 

 Kampong Cham Provincial Penal Police Deputy Chief Colonel Song Vannarith named the accused as Oknha Im Bros alias Krou Sel (or Magic Master), 56, a  fortune-teller and traditional Khmer healer from Kampong Siem district.

Col Vannarith said that the accused was charged with “holding weapons without authorisation” under Article 490 of the Criminal Code and faces a jail term from 6 months to 3 years if convicted.

Col Vannarith told Khmer Times yesterday that Im Bros was a noted Khmer healer and fortune-teller living near a mountain named “Phnom Bros-Phnom Srey” or “Man’s Mountain-Women’s Mountain” in Kampong Siem district.  

According to the police investigation, in 2016, Bros sold ivory and an ancient artifact, along with wild boar and tiger teeth, worth $200,000 to a woman named Heng Sam-Oeun, 45, a relic collector living in the same province, he stated. 

During the sale, Bros guaranteed and claimed they were original and sacred objects. After the purchase, the victim later took them to be verified, only to find that they were fake, he said. 


In October 2020, the Kampong Cham provincial court sentenced Bros in absentia to 6 months with 3 months suspended and charged with “Fraud” under Articles 377, 378, 107 and 108 of the Criminal Code, he said.



Bros, through his lawyer, appealed to Tboung Khmum Appeal Court but the court upheld his sentence on November 1, 2021 and issued a warrant for his arrest, he said. 

Bros was arrested on Tuesday this week, police inspected his house and seized five un-licenced guns and 259 bullets, five pairs of handcuffs and other related military materials, he added. 


//END// 

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