Fake call leads to wild goose chase

On Saturday, Banteay Meanchey border police received a desperate call. More than 80 Cambodian migrants, including women and children, were locked in a house in Thailand. They were being starved and abused. Two boys, begging their captors for food, were kicked to death. So said the voice on the other end of the phone, a self-professed 26-year-old undocumented migrant who had trusted two Thai brokers to lead him to higher paying employment across the border. He pleaded with the police to come and find them. The call set in motion a joint Cambodian-Thai investigation, and prompted local media reports. A search and rescue party was sent to Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok, where the caller said they had been taken. Police scoured the area, but found nothing. They tried calling the man again, but his number was disconnected. The problem, they concluded yesterday afternoon, was that the call had been fake.​ …

 Khouth Sophak Chakrya and Laignee Barron
http://phnompenhpost.com/national/fake-call-leads-wild-goose-chase