Three defendants in Punnakyun rape and murder case sentenced to death and 20 years in prison

Three defendants in the case of raping and murdering a woman in Punnakyun Township, Rakhine State, were sentenced to death and 20 years in prison by the Sittwe District Court on August 5, according to a statement released by the Arakan Crime Related News Release Group on August 6. The body of the 23-year-old woman who went missing on July 18 from Aungseik Village, Punnakyun Township, was found on July 22 around 10 p.m. at the entrance of a drain in a mango grove at the foot of a hill west of Tansawe Village. The body was found with handcuffs on its back, and with injuries to the neck and back of the head, in a state of decomposition. Regarding the incident, the relevant police station investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code, and it is reported that Maung Tin Win, 37, residing at the refugee camp at the monastery in Youtaroup Village, Punnakyun Township, confessed to the rape and murder. According to his confession, it was revealed that Maung Aye Kyaw (alias Maung Pu), 29, and Maung Than Soe (alias Nga Lone), 21, who were residing at the Chankyin rescue camp, also jointly participated in the crime, and all three defendants were arrested and detained on July 24. Subsequently, the police seized evidence and conducted investigations, and on July 31, they filed a lawsuit with the Sittwe District Court. The Sittwe District Court conducted hearings for both parties, including 19 witnesses, under Criminal Case No. 35/2026, and issued its verdict on August 5. According to the court's verdict, Maung Tin Win, who directly committed the rape and murder, was sentenced to death under Section 302(1)(c) of the Penal Code, with the order to "hang him until he dies." Maung Aye Kyaw (alias Maung Pu) and Maung Than Soe (alias Nga Lone), who handcuffed and brought the victim, were each sentenced to 20 years in prison under Section 364 of the Penal Code. "The severe punishment handed down to the defendants who committed such brutal acts provides a sense of justice for my deceased younger sister, as well as for the remaining family and the women in the region. It will truly serve as a lesson so that they do not dare to commit such crimes against women in the future," said a local woman from Punnakyun Township. The Dila Department of the Arakan People's Revolution Government has also announced a policy that perpetrators of murder, rape, and child rape in the Arakan region will not be allowed to escape, and is working to reduce crime and arrest fugitives.