Police opened fire on suspects in Shwepyitha Township, Rangoon during a raid on the hideout of two high-profile criminals exposed by a viral social media post.

Police launched the special operation on Sunday to apprehend fugitives Kyaw Win Sein (also known by the aliases Kyinsein and Hla Myo) and Naing Min Thu (also known as Ngapyawthee), after concerned locals identified them as criminals in the community. The arrests took place after a police raided a home in the township.

In a statement, Rangoon police said Kyaw Win Sein resisted arrest and threatened authorities with a blade, prompting officers to shoot at the house. The accused subsequently surrendered.

A variety of weapons, including slingshots, blades and chainsticks were seized from the scene.

Kyaw Win Sein had been sentenced to a 65-year prison term for multiple instances of armed robbery, but escaped from Motpalin prison labour camp in Mon State. He was wanted on a string of additional charges including kidnapping, drug dealing and wounding a police officer in the Rangoon suburb of Hlaingthayar in 2013. His accomplice Naing Min Thu was wanted for an assortment of crimes, including injuring two police officers.

Last week, Rangoon police launched a special operation to crackdown on high profile dangerous criminals in the city’s outskirts, stating they has received an online tip off regarding crimes such as drug dealing; racketeering and the operation of gambling dens in Shwepyitha and Hlaingthayar.  Photographs circulated online purporting to show evidence of such crimes, and lead to the arrest of three in Hlaingthayar and two in Shwepyithar on 20 January.

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Local residents in Shwepyitha and Hlaingthayar said the suspects had developed a foothold in the area when hired by local landlords to forcibly evict squatters.