Maungdaw, Arakan State: Two villagers were arrested by Burma’s Border Security Force (Nasaka) on February 27 on suspicion of the murder of a youth killed 33 days ago, said a relative of the victim who declined to be named.

The dead body was identified as Korim Ali (21), son of Khalu, who hailed from Kular Bill Village of Maungdaw Township. Eleven days later, his dead body was found in the forest by local villagers. He was killed on January 28 by unknown criminals.

Regarding the murder case, on February 27, at about 10:00 am, a group of Nasaka personnel from Kular Bill of Maungdaw Township went to the village and arrested two villagers named Nurul Islam (33), son of Potina, and Sayedur Rahman (40), son of Abdul Amin, on suspicion of murder. After that they were brought to the Nasaka camp and detained.

This murder case is regarded as very strange to the local villagers because the youth was innocent and had no enmity with other villagers, said a local youth who prefers not to be named.

On his fateful day, the victim left his home early in the morning and then disappeared. His parents thought that he would come home at night, but he did not return home. The next day, the parents accompanied by some relatives went to out of the village to look for their son, but they failed.

However, a group of villagers discovered the victim’s dead body in the forest while they were in the forest to collect firewood. They brought the dead body to his family’s home and informed the concerned Nasaka authorities. The authorities asked his relatives to bury the body immediately, said another relative of the victim.

Through February 26, no arrests were made, but unexpectedly, on February 27, Nasaka officers of Kular Bill Village came to the village and arrested two villagers. According to villagers, the two arrestees are innocent and the authorities only want to extort money from them after implicating them in the murder case.

“We villagers fear more arrests by the Nasaka because they can extort money from the villagers in this way,” said an elder from the village who requested anonymity.