Kidnappers arrested in downtown Yangon, locals say unsafe

Photo – Photos of kidnappers released by the military junta. Nine individuals involved in a kidnapping incident in downtown Yangon, a densely populated area, have been arrested, the military junta announced, while locals say that Yangon is becoming increasingly unsafe. (Military Junta, Social Network) Yangon (August 10) Mizzima. Nine individuals involved in a kidnapping incident in downtown Yangon, a densely populated area, have been arrested, the military junta announced, while locals say that Yangon is becoming increasingly unsafe. The incident occurred on the evening of August 6, when a group abducted the owner of the Diamond Shine jewelry shop on Shwe Bon Thar Street in Pazundaung Township, Yangon Region, as he was returning home from his shop. That night, the perpetrators contacted the victim's family using the victim's phone and threatened them, demanding 45 million kyats and 60 ticals of gold for the victim's safe return, warning that if they reported to the military, the victim would be killed. The military junta stated that in the subsequent operation to arrest the perpetrators, two men were initially apprehended on August 7, and through further investigation, six more suspects were arrested. The abducted jewelry shop owner, a man, was reportedly found alive in an abandoned house in Thaketa Township. The military junta has announced that the arrested individuals are undergoing further investigation and will be severely punished according to the law. At the time of the incident, some social media pages of Yangon residents reported that a man was being taken away at knifepoint in the city center for conscription. However, it was only after the military junta's announcement that it became known that the victim was the owner of a jewelry shop who had been kidnapped. "It happened in the city center where people are always crowded, so we were very frightened. At first, we heard he was taken for conscription. Later, we learned that the jewelry shop owner was kidnapped, and Yangon has been unsafe for a long time," said a local resident of Pazundaung. A Yangon resident stated that the announcement of this kidnapping incident, occurring while forced conscription is taking place in Yangon due to the military junta's conscription law, serves as a wake-up call to take personal safety into one's own hands. "Although this incident was a kidnapping for money from the jewelry shop owner, it happened in the city center, raising safety concerns. How many people have disappeared after being arrested without anyone knowing? It's frightening to think about," they said. Following the military coup, widespread fighting has erupted across the country, leading to an increasing number of people from unstable regions relocating to Yangon. As the population of Yangon, a city with diverse social strata, grows, so too have crimes such as theft, robbery, and murder, which have become more widespread year by year.