Locals reported that in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, abductions in broad daylight are becoming increasingly frequent.

The perpetrators of the abductions remain unclear, but most of the targets have been young and middle-aged individuals. A Myitkyina resident told KNG that he knew of three cases that occurred in the first half of August.

“Not long ago, five girls were taken at an intersection. Plainclothes men jumped out of unmarked cars and dragged them away, leaving one girl’s motorcycle on the roadside,” he said.

In another incident on August 12, two young women and two young men were abducted on the road from Aye Mya Thar Yar Ward in Myitkyina to Namkwayt Village on the city’s outskirts. A week later, on August 19, a woman in her 20s was taken near the Kachin National Manau Park.

These incidents have been taking place in both the central wards and the outskirts of Myitkyina, though it remains unclear which armed groups are responsible. Residents suspect that both the junta and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are competing to conscript people.

Locals also worry that some of these brazen abductions may involve human trafficking of young women, as illegal gambling dens and other crimes have surged in Myitkyina since the coup.

“We all feel really unsafe. These days, I even worry when my kids go to school. The phone lines and internet in Myitkyina are so bad that it’s hard to get real-time information. Most cases only come to light much later. Now, even when something is really urgent, I have to be extremely careful,” a woman from Myitkyina said.

The junta firmly controls Myitkyina and has been conducting strict checks on the local population since the coup. Meanwhile, the safety of the city’s residents has been deteriorating alarmingly day by day.

Myitkyina City consists of 29 wards, while Myitkyina Township includes the city plus about 30 surrounding village tracts.