Three militiamen, hired as security guards for a house in Muse Township, northern Shan State killed the homeowner and two other people before fleeing with over 600 million MMK.

The murders happened on 12 August in Homun Ward, Muse Town.

“The homeowner had hired three militiamen for security, but when they discovered there was a large amount of money in the house, they killed him and two family members before fleeing with over 600 million MMK in cash,” said a Muse resident to SHAN.

The victims, two men and an 18-year-old girl were found shot dead in the house. According to a member of a local social aid group, who helped to remove the bodies from the crime scene, the local junta authorities are now urgently searching for the suspects.

He said: “I’m not sure how many family members were in the house, but the death toll includes two men and one girl. I don’t know what kind of business they were involved in, but they appeared to be quite wealthy. The relevant junta organisations are still actively searching for the suspects.”

Since the February 2021 coup, there have been frequent kidnappings in Muse Township targeting money exchange operators and wealthy individuals. This had led many rich people to hire militia members as security guards.

This incident has heightened fear amongst the rich of Muse Township and caused them to question whether employing militia men as security guards is a wise move.

Several different junta-aligned militia groups are active in Muse Township, including various local militia units, some of which fight as auxiliary forces under the junta. It remains unclear which of these junta-affiliated militia groups the murderers are affiliated with.

Muse Township and its administrative center of Muse Town, near the Chinese border, have largely remained untouched by the ongoing military conflict that continues to spread across northern Shan State.