Irrawaddy-Mar 14
Residents of major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay are facing a crime wave after being hit by a recent spate of armed robberies, muggings and other crimes triggered by the post-coup economic downturn and soaring food prices. On March 7, at least three men robbed a clothing shop in broad daylight on one of the two main roads in Yangon’s North Okkalapa Township. The saleswoman was bound, gagged and robbed at knifepoint. Thefts of bicycles and motorbikes are rampant in many parts of Yangon, while muggings are on the increase. A rising number of break-ins and robberies have also been reported. In what might be the worst case so far, a foreign garment factory owner was killed and robbed of 300 million kyats (US$167,110). The money was to pay the salaries of his workers. The crime is believed to have been committed by the factory owner’s driver. Mandalay has also been hit by dozens of recent muggings, with groups of men armed with batons and knives attacking people and stealing their motorbikes. In some cases, the victims were seriously injured. Legal experts said the significant increase in crime is being triggered by a number of factors such as a shortage of jobs resulting from the post-coup economic downturn, surging food prices and political turmoil. Compounding the problem is the fact that junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing pardoned a combined total of more than 40,000 prisoners in February and April last year. Most of the prisoners released had been serving time for robberies and drug-related offenses. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/crime-wave-in-myanmars-major-cities-sparked-by-juntas-coup.html
