AKP Phnom Penh, February 20, 2026 -- Authorities in Cambodia’s capital have inspected over 2,700 suspected locations and arrested nearly 300 foreign nationals in a massive 15-day blitz targeting online fraud and cybercrime syndicates.

The operation, which ran from Feb. 3 to 18, saw the Phnom Penh Municipal Unified Command sweep 2,709 sites—including high-rise condominiums, apartments, gated communities (boreys), and hotels—across all 14 Khans of the municipality.

Phnom Penh Governor H.E. Khuong Sreng, who led the task force with coordination from the Secretariat of the Commission for Combating Online Scams (CCOS) reported that officials identified 21,104 foreigners (including 6,683 women) residing at the inspected premises.

While the majority of those encountered were undergoing routine status checks, police successfully dismantled 40 specific online scam operations. These raids resulted in the detention of 284 foreign nationals from 13 different countries, including: Vietnam, China, Myanmar, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore.

Phnom Penh Municipal Police Commissioner Gen. Chuon Narin confirmed that 11 cases have already been fast-tracked to the courts. Prosecutors are seeking convictions for 24 suspected ringleaders and key associates, consisting of 22 Chinese nationals, one Singaporean, and one Cambodian.

"Cambodia is not a sanctuary for tech criminals to conduct fraudulent activities or transnational crimes," Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet stated recently, according to official reports. The Prime Minister warned that any individuals or entities found backing these syndicates would face the "highest penalties" without exception or intervention.

By K. Rithy Reak