Maungdaw, Burma: A clash occurred between police and villagers on November 14, over looting goods from a shopkeeper in Maungdaw Township in Arakan State, said a close relative of the victim on condition of anonymity.

This incident occurred at Dil Para of Myoma Kayindan village tract of Maungdaw Town near the district police office and Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) office.

A policeman from Maungdaw police station took goods from a shop without paying. A dispute broke out between the shopkeeper and the policeman over the looting of goods. At one stage, the policeman threw away all the looted goods and beat up the shop owner severely. Some of the relatives of the shopkeeper mostly women retaliated and assaulted the policeman.

On being informed, some policemen in vehicles arrived at the spot and beat up the shopkeeper brutally and arrested a man.

More policemen came as reinforcement at the spot and beat up the villagers and demanded money for beating up a policeman and to stop further harassment of the villagers by the police.

However, the district police inspector Aung Htay and the police officer (OC) Nyi Lwin Soe of Maungdaw police station made no arrests of villagers because they created the problem only for extorting money, said a man who lives in Maungdaw on condition of anonymity.