Traffic police officer Aung Khin Than extorted 200,000 kyat from Shwe Maung (alias Nurul Islam) after the officer discovered he lacked a proper license for the vehicle, Hamidul Rahaman said.

The same officer extorted one million kyat from a driver after his car bumped into a wall on grounds that his vehicle wasn’t registered, according to the vehicle’s owner, Mr. Ayub.

Unlicensed vehicles are being sold in Maungdaw by Rakhine sellers who buy the cars from Akyab, where unlicensed vehicles aren’t allowed. There are over 20 vehicles in Maungdaw, eight of which are owned by Rohingyas, and the Rohingya owners who were initially forced to give traffic officers 500,000 kyat each. Reportedly, the officers were planning to extort more money from them six months after the first payment. However, no money has been taken from Rakhine-owned vehicles, said Rashid Ahmed, a member of a local vehicle association.

The officers are also extorting money from Rohingyas who possess proper documents and license plates, according to Mr. Rashid.