The relatives of a family of four who were found murdered in their Mingaladon Township home 10 months ago are demanding a new investigation after Yangon police announced that one of the victims was responsible for the murders.
On Saturday, police announced that Soe Naung, the husband and father of the other three victims and a former police officer, likely killed his family before killing himself. They said this conclusion was based on several pieces of evidence, including the Soe Naung’s bloody footprints found in the house, his blood-stained sweater found near the body of one of his sons, and a bloody knife found near Soe Naung’s body. They also said Soe Naung’s debt pointed to his involvement in the murders.
Police also connected Soe Naung to a number of amulets and books on spirituality that were found in the family’s compound.
U Wisara, a Buddhist monk and brother of Soe Naung, told Eleven: “The police said [Soe Naung] was left-handed, but he was actually right-handed. They said he read metaphysical books, but reading was not his hobby. I never found him reading metaphysical books.”
He continued: “It cannot be possible that Soe Naung killed his family before committing suicide. He invited me to a meal at his home in the days before his death, and his behavior was normal.”
The quadruple-murder shocked the public when it was first reported in August 2016. Many saw the unsolved murder of a former police officer and his family as evidence of police ineffectiveness.
Cherry Pwint, Soe Naung’s wife and one of the victims, took a photo of three unidentified men allegedly spying on her home a few days before the murder. Police announced the three men were wanted for questioning, but after interviewing 156 witnesses and investigating seven other suspects, police were no closer to solving the crime.
Ye Ye Nwe, mother of Cherry Pwint, also questioned the police’s announcement: “The police didn’t arrest the three people in the photo, and they hadn’t contacted us for about four or five months [before the announcement].”
She continued: “[Soe Naung] didn’t read the metaphysical books. His wife bought a metaphysical book from a writer she knew. Also, my son-in-law was right-handed, [not left-handed, as the police claimed]. The police said they found alcohol in [Cherry Pwint’s] stomach. My daughter was not a drinker. And they said Soe Naung was K2.7 million in debt. Actually, he had already paid off K1 million of that and only owed K1.7 million.”
“The deceased was no troublemaker,” said Soe Naung’s brother U Wisara. “We will ask the authorities to reinvestigate the case if necessary.”
