A CCTV camera captured the ordeal and the footage has spread on social media.

Police exchanged gunfire with a group of armed assailants after they broke into a home and robbed a family in northern Shan State on May 1.

Soe Thu told SHAN the men were speaking in Ta’ang language when they broke into his home after arriving on motorbikes in Namkham town.

“They handcuffed my father and searched all the rooms. They had an assault rifle and a pistol.”

A shootout ensued when police and members of a peoples militia force arrived at the scene. During the firefight, ten people were in the house, including several children.

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The assailants got away with 150,000 Chinese yuan (US$22,000) and 350,000 Myanmar kyat (US$231) but left two of their motorbikes.

“I’m so surprised! I don’t understand why this happened and I’d rather not think about it,” Soe Thu said.

A CCTV camera installed in the house captured the ordeal and the footage has spread on social media.

Soe Thu assumed since the gunmen spoke Ta’ang they were with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) that is active in the area.

Maj Tar Aik Kyaw, in charge of TNLA’s information department, has denied that his group was involved in the robbery when queried by SHAN. But he said after seeing the video on social media he asked around to see if anyone he knows were connected.

“We have nothing to say; it’s not our forces. There are many armed groups operating in this area.”

The robbery has left Soe Thu shaken and concerned for the safety of his family.

Last week, a Chinese man in Namkham was taken hostage by an armed group. He was released after his family paid MMK 100m (US$66,000).