Police officers from Maungdaw Town Police Station stole 150,000 kyats from a shopkeeper as he was going to Maungdaw Bus Station at about 3.00pm on 27 December according to Mohin, a local resident.
He said the shopkeeper's name is Khalu (30), son of Lukman Hakim and he comes from Ghora Khali Village of Mint Hlut Village Tract in Maungdaw South.
On the morning of 27 December Khalu went to the market in Maungdaw Town to buy some goods for his shop. After buying the goods, at about 3pm, he caught a rickshaw to the bus station about a mile away from the market. A group of police officers then stopped the rickshaw just before it got to Maungdaw General Hospital and searched Khalu, according to one of his close friends who did not want to be identified.
He said that after they searched Khalu the police told him that he was listed as a criminal because he had been involved in clashes between Rakhines and Rohingyas that took place in 2012.
The police demanded a large sum of money to release Khalu, but his close friend said that he refused to pay because he had not been involved in the clashes and was not listed as a criminal.
But, the police officers found 150,000 kyats in Khalu's pocket and they forcibly took it before releasing him later that evening.
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
