Police alleged to have used tear gas in Masodige raid

The mother of a man who was arrested in a police raid on Galolhu Masodige on Friday night has claimed that officers threw a two tear gas canisters into a house containing a three month old child and a five year old girl.

Fahmeedha Shakeeb alleged police entered the building without a court warrant to arrest her son, Ihusaanudheen Rasheed, for alleged assault of a 23 year old man.

”The police force arrived at Masodige to arrest my son and broke into the house,” she claimed. “My son asked them whether they had a court warrant to enter the house, but they said they did not so my son asked them to leave the house if they did not have a warrant.”

Shakeeb claimed police officers then threw a tear gas canister into the building despite her protestations that there were women and small children in the building.

“My son came downstairs and surrendered himself to the police. [During the fighting afterwards] the officers attacked him and his friends who were inside the house, using batons and pepper spray inside the house,” she said. “After he was taken outside the house along with his friends who were also arrested, an officer threw another tear gas canister into the house which affected my three month old grandchild, a five year old girl and their mother.”

She claimed the baby was already in a critical medical condition after being born prematurely, and had to be taken to the hospital after the incident.

”The five year-old also had breathing difficulties, she vomited that night and the police actions had caused her to suffer distress, imagine what it would be like to a child to see a police force armed with batons,” she said.

Shakeeb alleged that police had a “personal grudge” against Ihusan after he resigned from the police force.

Police have previously raided the property in relation to stabbing incidents in Male’, and in June last year knocked down the exterior wall after allegedly discovering a cache of weapons.

”We have been raided police for more than once, but what can we do, because we are poor people nobody cares, the police do whatever they want to do,” Shakeeb claimed. “I did not say anything to the police, but all I said was that they cannot enter the house if they did not have a court warrant.”

Shakeeb claimed that last time police arrived at the house to arrest her son she tried to clarify what happened and when she questioned a police officer she was pushed to the ground.

”After that I don’t go near police officers who come to raid our house, they will do whatever they want and we cannot do anything,” she claimed.

She also alleged that the police officers used foul language in front of the children, and that one of the officers referred to her as ”Nagoobalha” .

A witness to the raid also told Minivan News that police threw tear gas canisters into the house while the children were inside.

”A Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Councillor carried the baby to his house, and a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer passing by also stopped by and told the police that they should not do that, he was in MNDF official uniform,” the witness said.

”That happened near my house and I was there too, I saw injured people being dragged out of Masodige and thrown into a police vehicle,” he said.

Another person familiar with the matter told Minivan News that a police officer who was a close friend of Masodi gang phoned him while Ihusan was taken to Dhoonidhoo on a police speed boat, and alleged that police were about to give Ihusan an electric shock “to control him”.

”The police officer later told me that he fainted on the boat after the electric shock and was taken to hospital,” the person alleged.

A police source told Minivan News that the use of electricity to subdue Ihusan was “definitely not true” as there were no such electrical devices available to officers.

The source said that officers were called to the scene to “rescue” a 23-year-old man who was being attacked, allegedly by members of the Masodi gang. The three officers were attacked on arrival, and called for reinforcements. The reinforcements were also attacked, and resorted to using tear gas.

The police source could not confirm that tear gas had been used.

In addition, the source said that it was not necessary to have a court order to enter a property in such a situation, “as police are well within their right to use force when attacked.”

The source said no reports of a woman or child being affected by the raid had been received, but if there were any involved who wished to file a complaint could approach a number of services, including the Police Integrity Commission and the Human Rights Commission.

Twelve individuals were arrested during in the raid, including three minors. The source said the minors might have been associated with the Masodi gang.

The source also told Minivan News that three police officers were injured in the raid, and that one officer was subsequently sent abroad for medical treatment.

Head of the Police Integrity Commission Shahindha Ismail told Minivan News that the commission had received no complaints regarding the raid. The family affected said they had no intention to make a complaint.

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44 thoughts on “Police alleged to have used tear gas in Masodige raid”

  1. The Masodi gang members act like they are saints. I'm with the police on this one. As long as the drug dealing, murderous gangs of Male' aren't afraid of the police, then they will always continue to do what they do best.

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  2. whats the use of complaining to the police when they are the real problem creators in this? why attack a man who is surrendering himself to them? i guess if anything would hav happened to the kids no one from police would hav took the responsibility?they can use the defense for against us normal citizens when we do something but why cant we use self defense when they come to attack us? dont we hav any human rights? do they only speak truth infront of the media? wheres the justice now? they are telling tat the masodi people attacked the police officer outside there but no evidence no witness? but there are witness against police but no one took the action? it not the ministers and presidents who's putting this country into corruption its police i blame

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  3. I live near Masodige and everybody knows that its a hub for thugs to deal drugs and commit other sorts of crimes. Police did a great job! Thank you!!

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  4. I dont know what happened.

    But as I drive, I have been yelled at, my wife harrassed. I never park near there because of the danger that Masodi Gang represents to me.

    I wish the police would root out this cancer.

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  5. there is a picture of a star force guy pasted on masodi ge door sayin tat no matter wat happens to my ear am always wit MASODI GANG!

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  6. The police did a good job. sure some precautions should have been taken. But this gang culture in the country has gone far enough and needs to be stopped at a reasonable cost.

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  7. Gang scums who murders and terrorize others should be willing to accept all consequences including tear gas and bullets from armed forces and the police. This goes to those who give a safe habour to these terrorists. And should not keep in any babies be them born premature or not.

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  8. I didn't read the full article. Just wished they took care of the baby and child before throwing the tear gas canister.

    Too little too late.. please don't release those Masodige thugs. Rehabilitate them and Re-rehabilitate them.

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  9. Awwww the mommy describing such a innocent noble young man. Im sure she brought him up well, not to even hurt a fly (100% Sarcasam). Great work police. Hope more thugs get beaten.!

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  10. This should have been done long time ago...why is this woman complaining ? How many peopolr have been stabbed, abused, harrassed and murdered by these thugs !!! Haven't she heared this "nagoo" or any other filth before ? This place is like a nest that breeds terror and these criminals believes they are untouchable . This should gave been done long time ago . I SALUTE the police for this ...

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  11. Masodi gang should be wiped out, god knows there are ebough laws in the country to enable that. Government also need to seize the masodige. Please also note that people in some flats in hulhumale near a certain flat are scared to death too as one of the social housing flat belongs to a masodige person.

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  12. Unfortunately no sane person can have sympathy to Masodige, as a routine they have wild row often and use of brown sugar is done openly in this house. In sort this house is a cheap gang’s den. When normal people go near this house they will not give a glance at this place since they could be in trouble with gang lords.
    The police force would have been forced use force as they would have been attacked by the gang. This gang is not frightened of police or the judiciary.
    Fahmeedha Shakeeb can say many things about police and about their actions but the truth is that in her house there are no normal human beings living

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  13. well if the police aint have no control over these scum, there will be more blood shed. These gangs should be humiliated and gang members shamed. government or anyone for that matter should not accept them. they are just criminals. if the system cannot keep em locked up and the society safe, everyone has the right to stand up against these thugs. next elections i want this to be among the election promises of all presidential candidates, acting against organized crime and rowdyism amongst youth.else one of these days some frustrated and angry person may do something that no body really wants. when people suffer enough, theyd do anything! Thank You Police! use bullets if you have to. just get rid of these wannabes terrorizing our islands.

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  14. We also dont want to get hurt the children. At the same time Fahmeeda also has to understand that because of the Masodige gang, so many people nearby is insecure.
    This is true case how the mom is helping the gang fighters. May be her son is the income source for the family with looting and theft.

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  15. thats why police have to have guns now. battling gangs in male is a dangerous undertaking. if the police had guns, that baby will not have to breath tear gas. police will have to cut down one or two and the whole gang will submit peacefully and the baby will sleep peacefully too..

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  16. shame on you for bringing up thugs and encouraging them. That baby will end up a thug too

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  17. When I read this article all I felt was sorry for the kids affected by the tear gas, sorry for a mother's cry for her son and anger towards the police for using excessive force. But it was only after reading all your comments I realised that the action of the police was worth it. MN hasn't a least bit highlighted what a monster the guy was and the horror and violence he and his gang have brought into our society. Such people need to brought down for the safety of others in our society. I wonder why MN failed to mention all this in the article. They focused rather more on the complains of the mother and the tear gases thrown into the house. There will be unforseen cases in such raids, and in this case sadly they were the children. But has he the idiot handed himslef peacefully to the police in the beginig, all this tear gas scenario wouldn't have happened. We all pray for the good health of those kids but we are very proud of the job done by the police in arresting those gang members. For now all I can say to that mother is 'Just shut the f**k up'. Bravo police.

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  18. one more thing.... there is a mention of a "police officer close to mas odi gang, who phoned them and gave information"! thats a huge issue right there. these cops should face serious penalties. collaborating with organized criminal gangs is a common thing amongst police officers.

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  19. i cal up on the government to confiscate the house "Masod ge" for being a breeding ground for gangs and violence..

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  20. Shame on Minivannews for running a totally biased article. Use of force is a must when the police has deal with notorious gangs like this who have no fear or obedience to the police or any authorities. We need even tougher measures by the police to face these criminals. The mother is playin the role of doting mother while her son is a danger to the public.

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  21. I heard some one shouting and screaming around 2.30 am and peaked from my balcony ... the Masodi Gang boss was screaming mad at the police ... Shouting filth at the commissioner of the police ... and threatening that if anyone as much as touch him ... that the gang will ensure that each and every policeman in uniform in Male will be attacked. Most of the Gang boys were trying to control their boss from attacking the police. After half an hour of confrontation I saw one of the Gang boy slapping a policeman with his open palm with a full blow ... and from that ponit onwards the police rushed into the gang and grabbed one at a time under hand cuff. was a pretty exciting movie to watch the confrntation unfold. I was watching from a distance of 30 to 40 feet. and i stayed till the last vehicle left the area around 4 am. I surely did not see or feel any tear gas being used. Having seen the whole episode and reading this article ... i feel that the writer has no clue as to what went on there that night ... or perhaps the writer of this article has been paid by the gang or relatives of the gang members ... shame ... corruption ... corruption ... every where

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  22. The gang used the babies as human shields when the cops raided ... tell the mother just to shut up .... her son is a bloody hooligan and a criminal murderer so ... go sing your songs .. the whole F****** Masodi family ....

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  23. I am more worried about the children growing up in such environment. It is so sad that we accept the fact that they will also grow up to be thugs and addicts. If parents fail to look after children then there should be systems in place for the state to intervene and give them better homes.

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  24. FU** the writers of this article. i saw what happened from 2.15 am till 4 am. You did not. Just shut up and write something about women's rights, enviornmental issues or onesdied politics which you apparantly are good at. I am a neighbour of Masodige and luckily Minivan news office is not. I wish JJ or Mr. Ahmed Nazeer lived in the same neighbourhood. cheap third rate reporting

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  25. After reading this article, i thought... Is Minivan News criticizing Police for doing their Job ?

    What if one day J.J robinson was being robbed by one of these Masodi gang guys, will she yell "HELP, HELP, somebody go get a Court Warrant before you arrest this Person ?"

    And if J.J fought back and hit the ganster with a brick or something, then Fahmeedha would rush to report this in Minivan News..."My innocent Masodi son was hit on the head by a brick by J.J robinson, while he was just walking peacefully down the road".

    What the heck kinda reporting is this ? defending thugs and gangsters ? Do these gangsters even deserve human rights when they dont even consider the rights of other human beings ?

    Police should have all the power to use force against thugs and gangsters such as Masodi.

    I commend the Police for what they did. Gangsters and criminals who use force against other human beings should be answered with even greater force by police.

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  26. Hate to point out the obvious but have we forgotten?

    Minivan News - owned and operated by our beloved President.

    Masodige - close relatives of the President.

    Gangs - powerful near election time.

    Police - inept, poorly trained and reactionary.

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  27. maodi is a gang orchestrated by the shadow corporate elites of the maldives who can give some weed booze few bucks motorbikes ..etc to some teenagers & empty head criminals to do their dirty little work and try to uphold the wannabe mafia benchmark in the maldives and so far clearly they FAIL....

    and plz note that shadow corporate elites are the ones only who only invest money and other worthwhile resources to keep the criminal activities on the go in order to profit,for political gain or self satisfy for amusement fun so forth.

    anyone who don't have money to invest want to join the gang should be the ones who need to earn a living so they have to do some unethical dirty work like sell weed,booze,sell girls woman of different nationalities for money,theft,spying,murder,stalk and the list goes on & on..

    most of the time the young teenage members in these gangs who resemble as wannabe gangsters are not quite sure of the degree of destructive life style they get involved since the top level bosses will always be so charming & manipulative to these young chaps offering them with such rewards for their heroism that they get brain washed & intoxicated with the drug habit & daily booze & few beautiful prostitutes being sacrificed for these young minds to be victimized as their slaves...

    i mean its really kind of a funny world that they all live in & for me i consider it stupid irresponsible and disastrous...

    conclusion is we cant really address these top level people in the shadow as rich corporate elites since they are not using the best of their abilites & resources for the good of the people & its nation then they are considered to be the real CRIMINALS....not the MASODI young gang members...these front runners are just as normal chaps trying to have a nice cool life style which is again a problem for the whole young generation in the maldives that the current government is not able to deliver.....so! we need more gangs like MASODI but for a better greater & productive ethical good cause in which the whole nation will benefit the young old & all the level of people..

    as a fact i am not against any one or with any one because i am a free person and i have my own rules which are limited to only good causes and when i am in this position & some one tries to piss me or any of my affiliates there is only one way which is the my way and its called "CAREFUL" of whom you decide to mess up.don't get deceived by an innocent looking face...that's all i can say for the moment

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  28. Lady,kindly let the police do the job,let them rehabilitate that vile young man you call your son...let his wayward ways come to an end,if police doesn't use force,the likes of your son will never surrender&they will keep terrorizing the citizens..you didn't do your job as a mother,let the police do their job,surely you are exaggerating about the harms done to your family..this kind of dramatic&irrational behavior of women like you have bred a nation full of thugs&drug addict,you have spared the rod&spoiled your son beyond repair....Kindly do the country a favor and let the police keep your son arrested&jailed forever..

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  29. It's Hard To Read These Comments ! Why Do You Guys Have The Guts To Comment And Don't Have Guts To Tok Infront Of Us !Why Don't You Guys Come Forward And Attack Us ! You Guys Will Never Be Able To Do This !

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  30. @Masodi Titan: Of course we dont want to face you guy or attack you.. Cos we are responsible young educated guys.. You guys are so cheap can be bought for 100 rf... You guys wouldnt worry to kill a guy, so of course we wont face you.. but your end will b very dirty.. you'll grow old and die too.. how do you know your end.. Allah sent us all to worship him and to be good.. Not to show how bad or strong you are.. not to kill other.. showing how bad doesnt give you anythink.. If allah wants to take you back, he will... Allah is the greatest of us all.. So be in size..

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  31. I humbly ask, how is the President related to Masodige people... I suppose you mean we are all related because we came from Adamgefaanu...

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  32. My view on this country that we are not ready for a constitution that gives people unlimited rights. The country is small and govt. spends the income we get on salaries. Too many Commissions and too many Majlis Members. Take the tribunal for an example they act as a court and all members are not even lawyers. Tribunal should be a body that mediates and help solve issues that arise regarding employees and employers. But in this country The Tribunal is a court. Many Civil Servants are involved in corruption issues but they win as Tribunal is sympathetic towards the person. Every other day we read in the newspapers that kuda katheeb or katheeb has stolen cash. But they cannot be suspended. There is good opportunity for doing wrong and getting away. We do not respect each other. Look what happened to Campus Didi’s case. The culprits got away. The victim has lost money + had to undergo medical treatment which also cost money. It’s high time the govt. took a stand to punish those guilty and let the people live a peaceful life instead of sympathizing with gangs and criminals. This country has chosen the wrong path for development.

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  33. @Masodi Titan

    Ah look, another uneducated thug, trying to act so tough. The reality is, these guy's can't even take down another person without ganging up on him. These wannabe thugs are weak, and can't even swing a proper punch, yet alone WIN in a one on one fight. Mr.Titan, clearly you think violence is the way to live life, but we don't, and that's why we don't want to face you, or your dirty gang or murderers and drug addicts. You will spend your entirely life like this, injecting heroin, beating up random people, with no real purpose in life, and probably die younger than most people because of obvious reasons. You all have a chance to do good things, but the thing is, you won't, thinking the whole "gang" thing is "cool". It's not cool, rather, the rest of the Maldivians find it repulsive. If the police wanted to use brute force against you guys, then I will support them, and know that there are many more Maldivians who would as well.

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  34. wtf.. how could you judge people by their looks.. there are other dangerous gangs in male' but the police don't do anything. like ihu's mom said they have personal issues with ihu. i know all the people who are near this area and those boys are not as bad as you think. and first of all, they just can't break into a house like that..

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  35. @ mullah

    i simply should say f* you! you educated professor cannot understand the proper use of English. "You will spend your *entirely* life like this..". what the fuck is that? and it does not depend on how hard we can throw a punch, at least we try. we stand up for our rights when words fail. unlike you guys. Mr.professor, clearly you don't understand the meaning of life, or violence, my advice to you is stop trying to confuse others with violence and self defense. and speaking of drugs,if you're aged 40 or above, i am quite sure you'll be involved in importing it to this country in the first place. if you're not, then some elders from your family would be held accountable. my point is, we didn't invent any of these drugs. neither did we have red passports import stuff in our briefcase. you motherfucker don't understand how our generation was spoiled and yet you open your dirty mouth and pollute the atmosphere with your dirty breath.

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  36. @shahid
    "but your end will b very dirty.. you’ll grow old and die too.. how do you know your end.."

    you say our end will be dirty. and then you ask us how we know our end. man! that is contradicting. one sentence you're talking about the future, as if u know it, and the next u say "allah". are u claiming divinity?

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  37. here the real issue is not ihu..his fellow buddies...his mom or masodi fellow crowds...the real issues here are the corrupted politicians and criminals who get rich by deceiving the young generation to fulfill their dirty deeds..

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  38. what's wrong with these jobless people? what's with you and MOG or the other fellow guys there?? WTF.. we will do whatever we want ! we will beat anyone who comes on our way.. either with gang or 1 or 1. you guys have to wait and watch like you do now.. so suck upp..

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  39. There really is no point blaming the boys of Masodi.

    Label me a sympathizer all you want however it is not Masodi's fault that;

    - The youth in our country have little no to opportunities for career development.
    - Only the rich and upper middle class have the safety, security and space to rear "upstanding" citizens.
    - The police operate like a rival gang in certain situations creating unnecessary disputes.
    - Drug-dealing, violence, pimping and extortion are just about the only means for most of our youths to earn a decent income.
    - Politicians buy alcohol, violence, sex and drugs from the gangs that you hate on a daily basis. While you love your politicians and vote them into office, the gangs that you want to get rid of, keep them going.

    Criminals are not a different breed from the human species. They are, more often than not, forced into doing what they do.

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  40. To the Musodige' Mommy of the thug in question.
    " Yo woman, you raised a thug! stop breeding anymore thugs, let him take some responsibility and accountability for a change rather then mollycoddling him and blaming everyone else! "

    Some women should really not be allowed to breed! I propose that all women require a license to breed (and please let me be on the board of that)

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  41. hehehehehehe.........wat shit is dix now created by the cops........of course the gangs are bad.they stabbed they fought they killed.BUT NOT WIH OUT A REASON...n ya cops are the number 1 killers of maldives now a days.....n we cannot trust the cops......they are linked with the gangs as u can read clearly the 17th paragraph.....n ya Gang people are most trusted than these craps......MASODI also do shitx but why to harass little kids and women and innocents that too without a court warrant.........our gang is with the Masodi this time.....

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