Cambodian authorities say five Vietnamese inmates staged a dramatic escape from a provincial court using a smuggled gun, only to be captured again within hours in the country’s southeast.
A senior police official in Svay Rieng province confirmed on 19 November that all five Vietnamese prisoners, along with one Cambodian inmate, were recaptured after the bold attempt that unfolded “like a movie” outside the Svay Rieng provincial court the previous morning. All six were being transported for trial on drug related charges.
According to police, a separate group of five Vietnamese nationals arrived at the courthouse minutes before the detainees were escorted from their transport vehicle. The group used two cars. One woman wearing a face mask and cap entered the compound and posed as a family member waiting for the hearing.
As officers opened the vehicle to move the prisoners, the woman stepped forward and slipped a handgun to one of the Vietnamese inmates. He removed his handcuffs, raised the gun, and fired multiple rounds into the air. The prisoners then sprinted toward the gate and jumped into the waiting cars.
Unarmed guards took cover while another officer rushed out with an AK rifle and fired warning shots. The escape vehicles sped away. Police launched an immediate pursuit.
About ninety minutes later, officers located one of the cars after it lost control and plunged into a roadside pond outside Svay Rieng town. They arrested the first escapee, identified as Le Van Thien Luong, at 10:36 a.m. The second car continued fleeing, prompting authorities to mobilize additional units.
By evening, Cambodia’s Prison Department confirmed that all six prisoners and the woman who supplied the weapon were detained in the outskirts of Svay Rieng. Officials have not released further details on the identities of the group or the circumstances of their capture.
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Source: Vietnam Insider