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by Khuon Narim | May 11, 2016 | អានជាភាសាខ្មែរ

A man who slit the throat of a microfinance officer visiting his home in Kampot province was arrested on Tuesday in what police believe was likely a murder provoked by a feud over an account the suspect’s children held with the victim’s firm.

About 30 police officers surrounded the home of Bros Vit, 48, in Chhuk district’s Trameng commune at around 11 a.m. after neighbors reported that he had just killed someone, district police chief Samrith Sela Vibol said.

The suspect proceeded to climb onto the roof, leaving the corpse of Chim Borin, 24, an employee of the local Amret Microfinance office, at the bottom of the stairs.

“When our police arrived at the house, the perpetrator climbed onto the roof of his house while holding a sword,” Mr. Sela Vibol said. “We negotiated with him by saying, ‘Please come down, we will not hurt you.’”

After a four-hour standoff, Mr. Vit surrendered by dropping his sword before police stormed the roof and arrested him, he said.

Following his arrest, the suspect was taken for questioning at the provincial police headquarters, said deputy provincial serious crimes police chief Sam Sam Oeun, adding that authorities had already concluded that the case was murder.

“We found a small knife and a sword at the scene. The victim was cut four times on his throat and he died instantly,” Mr. Sam Oeun said. “Basically, police have made the assessment that it was murder.”

Commune police chief Nop Saren said that the motive for the attack was unclear, although he suspected it was related to the fact that Mr. Vit’s children—who work in South Korea—had an account with Amret.

“We do not know exactly whether the victim came to collect money or to take savings from the perpetrator,” Mr. Saren said.

“We just know that the owner of the house has children that are working in Korea and they have an account with Amret,” he added.