Background
Criminal investigation in Cambodia is conducted through national and provincial police structures that respond to reported offenses, identify suspects, and prepare case files for the justice process. The National Police of Cambodia is the central police institution responsible for criminal investigation, public security operations, and coordination with provincial police commissariats.
Armed robbery cases involving firearms are handled through criminal investigation procedures that identify suspects, collect evidence, and transfer case files to competent provincial authorities for legal processing. Poipet, located in Banteay Meanchey province near the Cambodia-Thailand border, is a major urban and commercial area where public security operations are closely linked to transport, retail, and cross-border movement.
The reported case concerns an alleged armed robbery at a fuel station, a type of commercial facility that depends on routine cash handling, staff safety, and rapid police response when violent offenses occur. Police coordination across Phnom Penh, Banteay Meanchey, and Preah Sihanouk indicates the operational role of inter-provincial cooperation in locating suspects after a serious reported crime.
Key Developments
According to the National Police of Cambodia, an armed robbery occurred at approximately 4:17 a.m. on 27 April 2026 at a PTT fuel station in Baliley 1 village, Poipet commune, Poipet city, Banteay Meanchey province. Police said a group of suspects arrived in a white Toyota Prius with license plate 2BR-8282, used a handgun to threaten and fire warning shots, and took a shoulder bag from a 27-year-old fuel station employee named Touch Sovann Oudom.
The police report stated that the stolen bag contained nearly USD 3,000. The Criminal Police Department, acting under orders from National Police leadership, worked with the Banteay Meanchey and Preah Sihanouk provincial police commissariats to investigate the case and identify suspects.
On 4 May 2026 at approximately 2:30 p.m., police arrested two suspects in Phnom Penh at a location on Tum Nup Kob Srov Road in Cheng Meng village, Samraong Kraom commune, Por Senchey district. The arrested suspects were identified by police as Noman Muhammad, a 34-year-old Pakistani national, and Ali Hassan, a 26-year-old Pakistani national.
Institutional Role
The Criminal Police Department led the specialized investigation, while provincial police units supported the case through territorial coordination. The National Police report named senior criminal police officials involved in directing the operation and stated that the investigation followed police procedures and professional methods.
After the arrests, the Criminal Police Department transferred the two suspects to the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police Commissariat for case-file preparation under legal procedure. Police also stated that investigators were continuing to search for one additional suspect who had fled.
Operational Implications
The case illustrates how Cambodia’s police system handles a serious violent offense that begins in one province and leads to arrests in the capital. Inter-provincial coordination allows criminal police units to follow suspects across administrative boundaries while leaving the case file with the competent provincial police authority where the alleged offense occurred.
The National Police statement reported that the two arrested suspects admitted that three people had taken part in the 27 April 2026 armed robbery at the Poipet PTT fuel station. The statement did not report a court judgment, and the suspects remained subject to legal procedures following police transfer of the case.
