PATHEIN — Police are hunting for a man suspected of killing his wife and two other relatives in a village in Irrawaddy Region’s Myaungmya Township on Sunday.
The suspect, identified as Than Zaw, allegedly knifed to death his wife, nephew and mother-in-law and injured his sister-law at his house in Taungkalay village on Sunday evening, police said.
“Than Zaw fled after the murders. The deputy regional police chief is overseeing the search operation in Myaungmya,” Irrawaddy Region Police spokesperson Police Lt-Col Khin Maung Latt told The Irrawaddy.
Police said Than Zaw went on a killing spree after a quarrel with his 33-year-old wife, who died at the scene along with the man’s 10-year-old nephew, who happened to be playing at the house, and his 60-year-old mother-in-law.
The man’s sister-in-law, who reportedly tried to stop the attack, sustained two knife wounds to the head and was in stable condition at Myaungmya People’s Hospital.
“He is just hiding out of fear. He won’t be able to hide long without food. We are tracking him down and have blocked all possible escape routes. We’ll get him soon,” Police Lt-Col Khin Maung Latt said.
Police have opened proceedings to charge Than Zaw with murder and causing serious injury.
The crime was similar to an incident in Bogale Township’s Khaing Shwe War village in October, in which an angry husband killed his wife and three stepchildren with a knife.
