Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities arrested seven suspects allegedly involved in a crocodile heist in the northern province of Siem Reap, an area popular for breeding the reptiles, police said Wednesday.

Six suspected thieves and one buyer were arrested in three provinces in a police dragnet in the last week after the owner of a local crocodile farm complained that 40 of his crocodiles went missing, authorities said.

"The crocodile owner told me that the thieves used electric shocks from a battery to catch the crocodiles," said Phoeun Aron, chief of the minor crimes division of Siem Reap police.

The owner was raising the crocodiles on the banks of the Tonle Sap lake in Siem Reap province when he discovered the reptiles were missing.
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