Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Three men and a woman arrested with large amount of cash and drugs

Three men and a woman have been arrested in possession of illegal drugs and a huge amount of cash, according to police.

Police said the four were arrested yesterday afternoon at about 2:40pm in a special operation conducted following a report received by police intelligence.

The police have not identified the house and the arrested persons but have said a 20 year-old man, 27 year-old man, 27 year-old man and a 29 year-old woman were arrested.

According to police, 10 packets of illegal drugs were found inside a cupboard in the house and the Rf 30,000 (US$1950) was found when the police searched the 20 year-old man.

US$1100 and Rf 3000 (US$195) was found on the 27 year-old man, police said.

The Police Drug Enforcement Department is further investigating the case.

Furthermore, police today said that the case, in which three men broke open a motorbike’s seat and stole Rf 200,000 (US$13,000) stored under it, to the Prosecutor General after concluding the investigation in to the case.

The three suspects involved in the case were identified by the police as Ahmed Areesh, 26, of Maafannu Gulsampaage, Afir Mohamed of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Rathafandhoo, and Wafir Mohamed.

The three were arrested on May 30 in a operation police conducted to capture them. They were arrested along with valuable items they had bought with the money. The remainder was recovered, police said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police investigating Fahmy’s alleged sexual harassment of a female staff

Police have said they are investigating the Chair of Civil Service Commission (CSC) Fahmy Hassan on allegations that he had sexually harassed female senior research officers working at the CSC.

Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef today said that the case was lodged at police and police were investigating.

He said the investigations were still ongoing and did not disclose further information.

Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee has also launched an investigation into alleged harassment of a female staff member by Fahmy.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that the incident occurred on May 29 and the victim was a female senior research officer.

According to the paper, both Fahmy and the victim were summoned to committee after the complaint was lodged in the first week of June.

Fahmy was alleged to have called the female staff member over to him, taken her hand and asked her to stand in front of him so that others in the office could not see, and caressed her stomach saying ”it won’t do for a beautiful single woman like you to get fat.”

According to local media, the woman told her family about the incident, who then called Fahmy. Fahmy then sent her a text message apologising for the incident, reportedly stating, ”I work very closely with everyone. But I have learned my lesson this time.”

In response to the allegations Fahmy told Minivan News that the female staff made up the allegation after she knew she did not win a scholarship to Singapore offered by the CSC.

He alleged the claim was politically motivated issue, as she would have otherwise filed the case with police and not parliament.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Civil Court rules in favour of former Police Superintendent Jinah in Gassan Maumoon suit

The Civil Court has ruled that the court was unclear of the role former Police Superintendent and head of the Drug Enforcement Department (DED) had played in obstructing the basic rights of Gassan Maumoon, following his arrest last year on suspicion of dropping a wooden plank from a six story building into a crowed of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters.

Gassan Maumoon, son of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, filed the suit against Jinah after police arrested him on allegations that he had dropped the wooden plank into the MDP supporters, striking the head of a 17 year-old boy.

Police at the time said that the victim, Hussein Hassan of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaal, had to undergo brain surgery to repair damage to his skull.

Civil Court Judge Aisha Shujoon ruled that the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), the oversight body of the police, had told the court that the case was lodged at the commission and that it had decided that Jianh did not have to take responsibility for Gassan’s arrest.

Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed at the time ruled that his arrest was unlawful and ordered his immediate release, despite early evidence being produced to the court supporting police claims.

The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) had recently competed a report on Abdulla Mohamed detailing the judge’s misconduct, notably politically-biased comments given to opposition-aligned private broadcaster DhiTV. This would later lead to his detention by the military, opposition protests and ultimately the toppling of the Nasheed administration in a police and military mutiny on February 7 this year.

In his counter suit filed in the Civil Court, Gassan contended that the Criminal Court had ruled that the arrest was unlawful and requested the court make Jinah take responsibility for his unlawful arrest, and pay him compensation.

At a press briefing at the time, Superintendent Jinah said police wished to “reveal the truth” about the incident as “deliberately false allegations have been made against police using the media” to bring the institution into disrepute, and “relentless attempts” had been made to cast aspersions on police and its senior officers by members of the then-opposition.

Police at the time exhibited video footage of a wooden pole thrown from above injuring the 17 year-old during the MDP protest against judicial corruption, which took place outside former President Gayoom’s residence, Maafanu Endherimaage.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Twelve men arrested in Maafannu for gambling

Police have arrested 12 men for gambling inside a house in Male’s Maafannu ward last night at about 2:15am.

According to police, police intelligence received information that a group of people involved in robberies occurring in Male’ were gambling inside Ameera Manzil (a house in Maafannu ward).

Police obtained a search warrant from the court and searched the house last night, and in their presence of the men, discovered four packets of illegal drugs, the chip sets they used, and Rf24,193 (US$1612).

The arrested 12 men were aged between 19 and 30 and all were male, police said.

According to police statistics revealed by Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz, 112 premisises have been searched so far in this year leading to the arrest of two alleged drug lords.

Riyaz said that so far this year police have conducted 6311 searches of people suspected suspected of using illegal drugs .

Gambling is strictly prohibited in Islam, and anything prohibited under Islam is illegal in the Maldives.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police arrest dismissed DPRS officer for theft, impersonating police

Police have arrested a man posing as a police officer and wearing a police uniform, after he attempted to rob a group of expatriate workers in a Male’ residence.

According to police, the man attempted to rob the house where expats working at ‘Muneer hotel’ live and he was caught Saturday afternoon.

In a statement police said the man was a former Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Service (DPRS) officer who was dismissed for his involvement in a theft case.

Police did not provide the name or age of the man but said he was 26 years-old.

The man entered the house where the expats lived and tried to pretend he was a police officer by using his old DPRS identification card, according to police.

Earlier this month, police arrested three police officers and a Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officer after they allegedly robbed a large amount of cash from expatriate workers in a house near the State Bank of India (SBI), in Male’s Heniveru ward.

Newspaper Haveeru reported at the time that one police officer was a member of the police investigations team, while another was a Special Operations (SO) officer.

Haveeru reported that the men entered the house and attacked and threatened the expatriate workers on Friday night around 9:00pm.

Two of the police officers were in uniform during the incident, according to Haveeru.

On August 29 last year, police arrested the three MNDF officers accused of entering an expatriate residence in Male’ in army uniform and robbing the Bangladeshi workers with threats of violence.

The MNDF officers have returned to work after the MNDF concluded its investigation.

Newspaper Haveeru reported at the time that the uniformed officers entered the house on three consecutive nights and took Rf30,000 (US$1,945), Rf24,000 (US$1,556) and Rf12,000 (US$778) respectively.

In a parliament’s committee meeting MPs supporting the ruling party alleged that after police stations were set alight in nationwide protests on February 8, people had stolen police uniforms and were using them to conduct criminal activities.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Seventeen year-old boy and an expatriate worker stabbed

A 17 year-old boy and an expatriate worker were stabbed in two different areas of Male’ on Saturday evening, according to police.

According to police, the 17 year-old boy was stabbed by two men that arrived on a motorbike last night at about 4:30am while he was walking near Olhuveli Road in Maafannu ward.

The boy was stabbed in the back and is currently undergoing treatment at Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

Police said the expat attacked last night was a 29 year-old man who was attacked while he was on Sosun Magu in Henveiru.

The man was also stabbed in the back by two men that came on a motorbike, police said.

According to the police, the victim is currently undergoing treatment at ADK Hospital. Neither victim was critically injured, police said.

No arrests have been made following the incidents but police are searching for the assailants. Police have not revealed names of any suspects.

So far in June 86 cases of assault have been reported to police, according to police statistics.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Police forward MDP MP Inthi’s case to Prosecutor General

Police have concluded investigation and forwarded for criminal prosecution a case against Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy ‘Inthi’.

According to a police statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has been requested to charge Inthi with disobeying orders, obstructing police duty and physically assaulting a female police officer during an MDP demonstration on May 29 that followed the dismantling of the former ruling party’s protest camp at Usfasgandu.

However in a statement condemning “excessive use of force” against demonstrators, Amnesty International reported that according to MP Imthiyaz, “police in Dhoonidhoo told him he was arrested for ‘disrupting peace’. The next day, in court, police stated that he had been detained for ‘physically attacking a woman police officer.”

Police arrested Inthi along with 56 other MDP activists on May 29 after police raided the MDP protest camp with a search warrant from the Criminal Court.

“I was arrested at the MDP protest camp and the court released me, after the police told the judge that I had assaulted a female officer at Usfasgandu,” Inthi told local media.

Police have also forwarded a case against MDP activist Shiyan ‘Shiyalhey’ Shafeeq of H. Hedheythundi to the PGO.

Shiyalhey faces charges of arson, disruption of public order and attacking officers of the armed forces.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

All family members of murdered Ahusan Basheer approve death sentence for minors if guilty

The Juvenile Court has said that murder victim’s Ahusan Basheer’s eight inheritors have now approved a possible death sentence for the male and female minor charged with his murder, if the court finds them guilty.

In May this year four members of Ahusan Basheer’s family were summoned to the Juvenile court to clarify if they had any objection to the death sentence being passed on the two minors charged with the murder of Ahusan. All four approved it.

The Juvenile Court said four more members of Ahusan’s family were summoned to Hithadhoo Court in Addu City to clarify if they would approve death sentence – they also approved it.

Article 88[d] of the Maldives Penal Code of the Maldives stated that murders should be dealt with according to Islamic Sharia and that persons found guilty of murder “shall be executed” if no inheritor of the victim objects, according to Islamic Sharia.

Home Minister Dr Ahmed Jameel has recently told the media that he would not hesitate to implement death sentence if the parliament determines it just.

Dr Jameel told the local media that the sentence for gang related crimes and assaults using sharp objects have to be changed to a sentence that the criminals fear.

He also said it was time the parliament determined appropriate penalties for such crimes and said he would not hesitate to implement any verdict.

Jameel said he will amend parole regulations in such a way that those convicted of murders, gang related crimes and stabbings will not be eligible for parole.

Ahusan Basheer, was stabbed to death in the early hours of March 17.

Although Maldives Penal Code allows death sentence, it has traditionally been commuted to 25 years in prison.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Two MNDF officers accused of robbery return to work

Two Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officers facing charges of robbing expatriates in uniform last year have returned to work following the conclusion of their investigation.

MNDF Spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem told newspaper Haveeru that the officers had been assigned duty and that their investigation was concluded.

The cases have now been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) to be tried at the Criminal Court. If either officer is found guilty, Raheem said the MNDF would take “strict action”.

On August 29 last year, police arrested the three MNDF officers accused of entering an expatriate residence in Male’ in army uniform and robbing the Bangladeshi workers with threats of violence.

The MNDF officers were identified as Lance Corporal Ali Ibrahim, 26, of Lhaviyani Hinnavaru Aaramuge, and Private Hussein Mahir, 23, of Laamu Mundhoo Finifenmaage. They were taken into custody with the stolen cash.

Following the arrests, the MNDF said it was “working with the police to take the harshest legal action possible” against the errant officers.

According to local media reports at the time, the three officers robbed expatriate workers living in Maafanu Pink Rose on Fareedhee Magu on a number of occasions during Ramadan last year.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that the uniformed officers entered the house on three consecutive nights and took Rf30,000 (US$1,945), Rf24,000 (US$1,556) and Rf12,000 (US$778) respectively.

The two officers were reportedly confronted by members of the public on the third night, who informed the police.

MNDF Spokesperson Colonel Abdul Raheem did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)