Three Muslim teenagers from Kyeinnipyin refugee camp, Pauktaw Township, Rakhine State, have been abducted by an unidentified group. According to family members, the three youths have been missing since approximately 8:00 pm on July 19th.
On July 24th, an unidentified kidnapper contacted U Baw Shee by phone and disclosed that he, along with other accomplices, had taken the young individuals under false pretenses of sending them to Malaysia. These criminals demanded a ransom of 10 million kyat for the release of each of them.
U Baw Shee told Narinjara, “We can't think of where to find that ransom money. If we don't pay them, they threaten to beat and even kill our children. We have only stored food and we don’t own any plots of farmland to sell.”
U Eliet, the person in charge of Kyeinnipyin refugee camp, confirmed to Narinjara that the news of the kidnapping of three young Muslim students is true. "No one knows exactly where the kids are. There are rumours that they may be in Minbya, Mrauk-U, or even Yangon. The kidnapper threatened to harm them if their parents won't pay the money demanded”, he said.
Family members mentioned that the kidnapper's phone has been switched off since he contacted U Baw Shee. The two Maung Sin Khamauts, who have the same name, are in Grade 5 and Grade 8, respectively, while Maung Al Phin is a Grade 6 student. All three of them attend the secondary school (branch) in Kyeinnipyin village.
The family members have informed the Arakan Army (AA) officials in Pauktaw Township and the local police about the abduction of the three young Muslims.
