When San Chenda wanted to break up with her boyfriend, Kub Pha, she was unaware of the horrible attack she would be subjected to. The twisted man threw acid on the woman and hacked off her hand using a meat cleaver in February 2019. He then absconded from his home in the province of Takeo in Cambodia. After being on the run for 18 months, the man was caught and jailed on Saturday, September 5. He had already been sentenced in absentia.

On February 27, 2019, Chenda was brutally attacked by the man she had been in a relationship with. She reportedly wanted to end the extramarital relationship with the married man. The attack occurred in Bati district's Kandoeng commune. The couple reportedly had a secret meeting around 4 am, during which they got into a heated argument.

Following the argument, the victim was first attacked using acid that left her with horrific burns. The assailant also chopped off the victim's left hand using a meat cleaver. He left her for dead when she collapsed. After regaining consciousness, the victim called and alerted her siblings. While the 24-year-old survived the attack, she was hospitalised with life-altering injuries.

The police launched a manhunt for Pha as he absconded after the attack. According to Khmer Times, the man left behind a wife and child. During the time he was missing, the 43-year-old reportedly hid in the provinces of Pailin, Pursat and Battambang. He was finally arrested in the commune of O'Samril in the district of Samlout on Saturday. The National Police, Pailin provincial police and Battambang provincial police worked together to find and arrest the culprit.

The arrest warrant for the man was issued on April 8. While the search for the man was ongoing, he was sentenced in absentia at the Takeo Provincial Court on April 18. According to Phnom Penh Post, the convicted man was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He started serving his sentence as soon as he was taken into police custody last week. He appeared in court on Sunday after his arrest. Details of the victim's current condition are unknown.

Acid Attack Survivor
Man threw acid at and chopped off the hand of his girlfriend after she wanted to break-up with him. (representational image) Reuters