Phnom Penh, Cambodia – On Friday, American national B.D.N. was caught red-handed by Tonle Basac police while engaging in sex with a twelve-year-old girl in the presence of two other underage girls. B.D.N lured the girls to a quiet place surrounding Koh Pich Island where hesexually abused one of the girls with the promise to pay her 20$ and 15$ to each of the other two girls. After the arrest, police of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department took over the case.
Child protection organisation APLE assisted police to identify more victims. A total of 6 victims have now disclosed that they’ve been sexually exploited on different occasions. It was also believed that more victims will come forward.
B.D.N is the CEO and Founder of an aviation company and previously ran a travel agency in Phnom Penh. His aero project was also operating in the other parts of Cambodia. The investigation established that B.D.N had contacts with many underage girls in various places including his neighbourhood. Additional tips from the public regarding B.D.N’s suspicious behavior increased concerns that B.D.N was trying to sexually exploit these girls.
Khoem Vando, Deputy Director of Field Operations at APLE, said about the arrest: “We applaud the response of the Cambodian police and active involvement of the US authorities to bring this man behind bar.”
With assistance from the US authorities, police are conducting a preliminary search on the confiscated laptop, media storage devices and other evidence seized from B.D.N’s premise.
