Differing reports on the charges
The theft of $3.7 million from the Titan King Casino in Bavet, Cambodia has sparked conflicting news about the theft and the alleged thieves.
According to the Khmer Times, Svay Rieng Deputy Provincial Police Chief Khieu Sokhom said two Indian nationals, Panchal Sunil Mukeshkumar and Shah Manthan Jaymishkumar, were arrested for stealing a reported $30 million. The men were taken into custody in Bavet, a special economic zone, after casino owner Kith Thieng, filed a complaint charging them with fraud. Kith Thieng’s brother, Kith Meng, is chairman of the Royal Group conglomerate, which owns the Titan King.
But in another report in the Cambodia Daily, the men were said to have been charged as accomplices in a breach of trust case, and the real culprit is the owner of a second licensed gaming facility that rented space at the Titan King. That unidentified suspect, supposedly a foreign national, may have absconded with $3.7 million worth of unpaid staff wages and rental fees, said Phan Ratana, spokesman for the Svay Rieng Provincial Court.
The casino’s approximately 700 employees staged a revolt after having worked five months without pay. The two Indian nationals claim they were unable to pay the salaries because their “big boss” had all the money, according to the news agency. The men are being held at the Svay Rieng Provincial Prison while they await trial.
Located just across the border from Vietnam, Bavet has a dozen or so casinos that cater predominantly to a Vietnamese clientele, reported ThaiVisa.com.
