Police Rob and Extort Money from Rohingya at Maungdaw Entrance

September 21, 2021

The Police on duty at Maungdaw Entrace in Rakhine State are deliberately robbing things and extorting money from the Rohingya Muslims day and night, according to the Muslims coming to the town in search of livelihood and for daily necessities.

On 16 September,  Muhammad Jahangir, 19, from U Shint Kya village, north of Maungdaw, arrived at the police checkpoint of Maungdaw Gate  by a motorcycle at 10.30 am and was intentionally stopped there.

During an interrogation, he  showed his matriculation student’s  card, which was thrown away  by the police saying that it had expired, and was released after being extorted  5,000 kyat, reports an eyewitness with the condition of anonymity.

Rohingya passers-by from northern Maungdaw are regularly detained at the checkpoint and unjustly extorted money from them.

If the passers-by cross the checkpoint by motorbikes, the police frequently ask, “Where are you from? Why do you have to go to the city?”  And the soft drinks as well as the foods-yummy curries and cooked rice from the tiffin carriers packed by the dearer ones for lunch- brought by Rohingya passers-by are being forcibly looted, he added.

The police at the checkpoint are from the Maungdaw City Police Station. Myint Kyaw Oo, deputy police chief of Myoma Police Station, is also involved in the robbery and extortion, he continued.

“The police have been committing this for a long time. The people coming to the city are from the countryside. They are too honest to know how to avoid the cruel trap of the police. Whatever they bring, the police forcibly took the lion share of them,” a town-dweller said.

The local Rohingya are urging the superiors to take immediate and effective action against the police for their looting and extortion.

Reported By: Maung Wunna

Edited by:  Md. Shuaib