Police in Hakha have arrested six people, including one woman, for misuse of public property in connection with their alleged involvement in the buying and selling of blocks of land in a new development project in the Chin State capital.

Police arrested Pu Zung Mang, 60, Pu Bawi Awr, 54, Pu Chan Thleng, 60, Rev. Dr. Hrang Kil, 58, Pu Hmet Al, 74 and Pi Ngun Par, 52, on Sunday.

“According to the law, we can only detain these people for 24 hours. Therefore, we have to start the court hearing process today. We have to take time to question the defendants and the eyewitnesses. I think we will complete this case within a month,” police officer U Thein Zaw Oo, who is the commander of the Hakha Myoma police station, told Khonumthung News.

The six detainees are suspected of buying and selling land blocks in the new Hakha city project.

On August 20, the Chin State government destroyed more than 120 houses that had been built on land designated for use by the project because were not authorized for construction.

Four of the detainees—Pu Zung Mang, Pu Bawi Awr, Pu Hmet Al and Rev. Dr. Hrang Kil—are known to have health problems, raising concerns among their families about the impact of their arrests.