Murder and Robbery Plaguing Myanmar Under Min Aung Hlaing’s Junta

Narinjara, 16 September 2026

Public panic is escalating in Yangon following a string of violent crimes committed by junta-backed authorities, including a ward administrator who beat a conscript to death and a police officer who murdered a driver during a carjacking.

Yangon residents report that beneath a facade of stability, the city is gripped by fear over deteriorating security and the military regime's aggressive conscription campaign.

"Although the situation in Yangon might appear calm on the surface, people are deeply anxious about their personal safety," a local resident told Narinjara on the condition of anonymity. "We are seeing reports of ward administrators beating a young man to death to hide a body, and a police officer shooting a taxi driver just to steal his vehicle. On top of that, every parent is living in constant fear because young people are being snatched off the streets and forcibly conscripted."

The most recent tragedy occurred on September 13 in Hlaing Tharyar (East) Township. Local sources reveal that U Thaung Shwe, the administrator of Ward No. 1, along with a "hundred-household head" and a "ten-household head," severely beat a young man who had been detained for military service.

After the victim died from his injuries, the administrative team loaded his body into a vehicle and dumped it elsewhere in an attempt to cover up the murder.

The incident, coupled with the recent deadly carjacking by a law enforcement officer, has severely shaken public trust, highlighting a growing lawlessness under the president military leader Min Aung Hlaing’s administration.

They are currently under investigation at the Hlaing Tharyar (East) Township Police Station under Case No. (Pa) 1079/2026, facing charges under four legal sections: Section 365 (kidnapping), Section 304 (culpable homicide), Section 202, and Section 114.

Similarly, on the evening of September 6 in Nay Pyi Taw, Deputy Police Officer Ye Yint Aung (22) hired taxi driver Ko Win Ko (34) for 400,000 Kyats to travel to Meiktila. Upon reaching the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, Ye Yint Aung shot and killed the driver with a revolver, stole the vehicle, and discarded the body.

The perpetrator was arrested the following morning near the Bawga Thiri Roundabout, and the Meiktila Township Police Station has since opened a murder case against him under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

These incidents highlight growing public concern regarding the current regime, which assumed power through a coup and a sham election. Reports indicate that instead of upholding the law, law enforcement personnel are actively committing crimes, leaving the majority of the Myanmar people feeling entirely unprotected.