Two individuals, Kyaw Khaing Oo and his illegal wife Aye Aye Win, who pretended to be members of an armed group and extorted money from 27 business owners, were arrested in Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Region, according to sources.

The pair were apprehended at House No. 226 on Khettar Street, Moe Gyo Pyit Village, Pyin Oo Lwin Township, on the afternoon of October 20, 2024, according to a statement from the State Administration Council (SAC).

In his statement, Kyaw Khaing Oo revealed that in April 2014, while living in Pan Mauk Village, Kyaukme Township, he was forcibly recruited by an ethnic armed group. He fled the group in 2016 and later settled in Nyaung Mee Kha Village, Pinlaung Township, where he opened a motorcycle repair shop and engaged in the trade of unlicensed vehicles, according to the SAC's statement.

Since November 2021, Kyaw Khaing Oo reportedly used the Myanmar Business Directory Application through Chrome Software to find business owners' phone numbers. 

He claimed to be a member of a terrorist bombing group and threatened to kill them if they reported him to authorities, extorting money in the process, according to the SAC.

By October 19, 2024, Kyaw Khaing Oo had extorted a total of 221.3 million kyats from 27 business owners across various regions: four from Lashio, one from Hsipaw, five from Muse, two from Namkham, one from Taunggyi, one from Loikaw, four from Pyin Oo Lwin, one from Nawnghkio, and eight from Mandalay.

The money was used to purchase a Soueast vehicle for 40 million kyats and a house in Moe Gyo Pyit Village for 140 million kyats, while the remaining funds were spent on gambling, drinking, and entertainment, the statement said.

The SAC emphasized that legal action would be taken against those responsible for extorting money from the public under existing laws. 

It also urged the public not to be easily swayed by extortion threats and encouraged cooperation in preventing such criminal activities.