As a nationwide campaign against online scams continued, the Phnom Penh Unified Administrative Command Committee carried out further enforcement on January 16. It apprehended 75 foreign nationals at two city locations on suspicion of involvement in online scams and unlawful residence. Officers conducted administrative inspections of premises in Makara and Sen Sok districts.
According to the notice, officers found 39 people at the “七重天” (“Seventh Heaven”) hotel in Makara: 26 Pakistani, 11 Indian and two Bangladeshi nationals. At C8 Guesthouse in Sen Sok, they found 36 people: 25 Indian nationals, including four women, and 11 Bangladeshis. All were suspected of offences related to online scams, and the cases were being investigated further.
Authorities said that between January 11 and 16, 2026 alone, enforcement forces had acted at four case-related sites in Phnom Penh and Battambang, detaining 123 suspects. From January 1 to 16, a nationwide total of 14 case-related locations had been dealt with and 162 people of various nationalities detained. Enforcement authorities said they would maintain pressure and take firm legal action against all organisers behind online scams and principal suspects, without leniency.
Compiled by this station.