Two American sisters have been arrested in Cambodia for allegedly taking naked photos of each other inside the country’s famed Angkor temple complex, officials said on Saturday.

Lindsey Adams, 22, and her 20-year-old sister Leslie were discovered taking “nude pictures” inside the Preah Khan temple at the world heritage site on Friday, the Apsara Authority – the government agency managing the Angkor complex – said in a statement.

“The two tourists admitted that they really made a mistake by taking nude photos,” the statement read.

Three French tourists were deported last weekend after they pleaded guilty to taking nude pictures of each other inside another temple within the complex.

Chau Sun Kerya, a spokeswoman for the Apsara Authority, said the women’s actions were offensive because Angkor is considered sacred ground.

“Perhaps they did not know Angkor is a holy site. But their inappropriate activities affect the sanctity of the place,” she said.

Keat Bunthan, a senior heritage police official in north-western Siem Reap province, said officers were now questioning the women.

“They lowered their pants to their knees and took pictures of their buttocks,” he said, adding that he was not sure yet what charges they might face.

The three deported French men received a suspended six-month prison sentence on two charges – public exposure and making pornography – and will be banned from re-entering Cambodia for four years.

The trio were caught just days after a series of photos of Asian women posing nude at ancient Cambodian temples went viral online and outraged officials who vowed to step up efforts to prevent similar stunts.

The Angkor Archaeological Park, a world heritage site, contains the remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, dating from the 9th to the 15th centuries, and is Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination.