A suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of a 42-year-old man whose body was found in an old fish pond in Mawlamyine, according to sources close to security authorities.
The victim, identified as Ko Soe Moe Htike, was discovered at around 6:45 a.m. on January 18 in the Hlaing Yatana New Town project area. He was a resident of Hlaing Ward and reportedly a member of the LGBT community.
Following an investigation, police arrested 33-year-old Lin Soe Thet (aka Ah Mann) on February 13. According to his confession, he first met the victim in January 2025. On January 17, the two met near the old fish pond in Hlaing Ward. An argument broke out, during which Lin Soe Thet allegedly slashed the victim’s throat with a knife. When the victim fought back, the suspect reportedly struck him on the head multiple times with a stone, killing him.
The suspect then took two rings, two mobile phones, a wallet, and the victim’s motorcycle before dumping the body into the pond.
He later fled to Myawady on the Thai-Myanmar border, where he gambled the stolen money online. After losing, he sold the stolen rings, a phone, and the motorcycle to continue gambling. He returned to Mawlamyine on January 22 after running out of money and had one of the stolen phones unlocked at a shop in Mudon before using it to open a Telegram account.
Police arrested him at his home on February 13. He has been charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code at the Mawlamyine Police Station, and investigations are ongoing.
