Uncertainty surrounds the death of a Muslim charity worker arrested a few days ago in Hlegu Township in Yangon.

The information department of Hlegu Township People's Defence Force announced on October 7 that the body of Ko Aung Aung Kyaw (a.k.a) Ko Aung Aung, who was arrested and interrogated for two days in Hlegu township, Yangon region was sent on Wednesday to the People's Hospital in Hlegu township by military council troops.

People close to Ko Aung Aung Kyaw told Mizzima that the body was handed over to the hospital with the claim he had been hit by a car.

A close friend of Aung Aung Kyaw, who preferred to remain anonymous, claimed it was clear he had been brutally tortured and that if he had been involved in an accident, as claimed, a charity or hospital would have picked up the body, not junta forces.

According to a statement from the Hlegu Township People's Defence Force, Ko Aung Aung Kyaw had faced a brutal experience: his face had been repeatedly slapped; his body was cruelly beaten; his legs were crushed with an iron rod and his teeth were pulled out during interrogation. Then, he was shot in the head on the night of October 6 after failing to answer questions.

He reportedly was arrested by junta forces driving a car on October 4 evening and was tortured at an interrogation centre at the Hlegu Township Stadium.

A Muslim aid group reportedly tried to retrieve his body from the hospital to carry out religious rites but was blocked from doing so, and his body was cremated by junta forces.

Ko Aung Aung Kyaw, a resident of Yeik Thar ward in Hlegu township, was 21 years old at the time of his death and was actively involved in volunteering for local charities, according to locals.

In the eight months since the military coup, a total of 1,158 people have been killed, 8,770 arrested and 7,104 still in custody, according to AAPP records.