Arrest of criminal extorted money: Criminal extorted money from business owners seized

Acting on tip-off provided by the concerned citizens who do not tolerate injustice about the presence of Kyaw Khine Ooin Moekyoepit Village, Pyin Oo Lwin Township, who was posing as a terrorist to extort money from business owners, the security forces apprehended him and his illicit partner Aye Aye Win at a residence of No. 226 on Khattar Road in Moekyoepit Village on October 20.

According to Kyaw Khine Oo's confession, he was forcibly recruited by an armed ethnic group in Panmauk Village, Kyaukme Township, in April 2014. He later fled the group in 2016. Afterward, he opened a motorcycle repair shop in Nyaung Hme Kar Village, Pinlaung Township, where he engaged in the illegal buying and selling of unregistered motor vehicles. 

Since November 2021, Kyaw Khine Oo used the Myanmar Business Directory application via Chrome Software to find the phone numbers of business owners. He would then pose as a member of a terrorist organization, threatening the business owners by saying they would be killed if they reported him to the Tatmadaw, Myanmar Police Force, People’s militia groups or other organizations.

He extorted money from them, and as of October 19, 2024, he had successfully extorted a total of 221.3 million Kyats from 27 business owners, including 4 from Lashio, 1 from Hsipaw, 5 from Muse, 2 from Namkham, 1 from Taunggyi, 1 from Loikaw, 4 from Pyin Oo Lwin, 1 from Naung Cho, and 8 from Mandalay.

He used the extorted money to buy a Soueast car worth 40 million Kyats, and a house in Moekyoepit Village for 140 million Kyats. He also squandered the remaining money on gambling, drinking, and personal entertainment.

The authorities have stated that they will take effective action against criminals who extort money from honest and hardworking citizens under the existing laws. The public is also urged not to easily believe extortion threats and to protect and resist such activities.

If anyone has information about these criminals, they are encouraged to report it confidentially to the relevant authorities, and rewards will be given to informants and those involved in the arrests. The government calls on all citizens to cooperate for the swift restoration of peace and stability in the communities.