Police have arrested 14 persons including a minor for alleged involvement in blackmailing people after acquiring nude pictures and videos of them through Facebook.
”We have been investigating this issue since it came to light two months ago,” said police in a statement. ”Police conducted a special operation from February 13-20, 2011 in an effort to stop this crime, present the criminals before the court.”
Police said 10 of the 14 alleged perpetrators were arrested in Addu while four of them, including a 17 year old minor, were caught in Male’. According to police all persons arrested in Addu were between the age of 21-26.
Police discovered “hundreds of nude pictures and videos of Maldivians” in the laptops and external hard drives of those arrested, police said.
”While some of the pictures were taken of people while drunk, other pictures were taken without the consent of the persons.”
Police also said they had noticed that some people in the videos were performing explicit acts in the presence of minors, and warned that this “could affect the future and discipline of the minors”.
”The case relates to the rights of many citizens and affects the social policy of the Maldives, and may also affect the safety of the society,” said police.
Information gathered so far had revealed that people from all levels of Maldivian society were affected, “including underage females juveniles, young women, professional and semi-professional persons, and people of both genders working all across the country.”
Police appealed to Maldivians to be more careful approving friendships with strangers on social networks.
”It is notable that underage females are victims in this crime, and that a minor was arrested as a suspect. It is necessary that parents monitor the work of minors when they use internet and social networks,” said police.
Two Facebook profiles identified as being involved in the ring where those belonging to ‘Lyshiaa Limanom’ and ‘Angelic Sharrown’. Both of these profiles show the same picture of a young blonde woman wearing sunglasses, and each profile has between 1200-1300 Facebook ‘friends’ – most of them Maldivian.
Police warned Maldivians to be careful of receiving invitations and messages from these profiles.
Social media adoption in the Maldives is prodigious, particularly Facebook, with almost a third of the country’s population signed up to the service. According to statistics from Facebook, the Maldives has 89,460 registered users – two thirds of whom are male. Almost half Maldivian Facebook users are aged under 18.
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These idiots are crazy, let them be exposed..
Police and minivan trying to spin the real story. Initially the news reported as blackmailing top government officials. Now it seems that the police is trying to make this a big social issue and get sympathy for the idiot officials of government who had sex through web cam with strangers. Who knows if the police are not the ones who saved nude photos of many Maldivians to those computers. There are hundreds of nude photos of Maldivians available on the internet.
Police must investigate the other computers as well. Not only the guys who were at one end of the computer.
Everyone in this country is crazy!
We have been fed with the golden spoon for a very long time. So with what else can we eat?
"Do not meddle with rulership and how I take care of affairs" has been the order of the day. And who ever does anything else is safe and free to do it!
These are some reminiscences of our past!
The big question again is can they be exposed?
Where are the sadists who blame everything on those who practice Islam? By calling them Fundamentalist, extremists..blah..blah! As history has always proven, we know all societies are doomed by the Atheists, Gays, Murders, corrupt cronies and Alcohol drinkers! I am sure these suspected cases would have all of these elements specially Alcohol and Gays! These are the real extremist!!! real threat to Maldivian social fabric!
I suspect this simply a strategically designed attempt to collect and control the Wikileaks group in Maldives! Who have who is behind the master mind is not in Maldives and is trying to control these young hackers with Universal Human weakness..SEX!!! I know the puppets of the master mind are monitoring what we type and where we go and all we do..and they know who we all are..by triangulation! But lets see if your game can go for ever..all games have GAME OVER!!! We shall wait..
Ure spinning the story, Majlis members, members of the Judiciary , ministers and many more government officials are involved in this as haveeru reports. maybe minivannews is not so minivan after all. u guys only know to attck religion. Ignorant...
@ Alibe is very true. If we follow Islam as it should be we are very safe. Once we leave the boundary then its a zone full of unknown and could happen any thing. Are these idiots crazy to get nude in front of a web cam and perform for a blonde image. These creatures are created by our ex-president's policies.
@zeen. Perfect. You found the exact reason for this to happen. Maumoon is to blame cause internet was introduced in his presidency. He should have ruled like the taliban. You are a genious.
Time for a Julian Assange to expose the identity of these public officials who have disgraced the institutions that they belong, whether Government or Majlis or Judiciary.
The public have a right to know this, since we are placing so much in their hands. We need to know if we can trust them with to carry out their duties.
Maldivians have come a long way I guess !!1
@alibe
u r so right
but whats better is freezing the Semen & castrate (head chop!) all the men in the society
its an all in one solution to sexual crimes 100% effective ^_^
waiting for all those clips to be shared in the public.We need to see it to make sure who those high ranking are!
Surprises for those people who talk in public podiums. There natural desires are about expose to the world.
This is the Maldives - there is no way to hide it.Whoever tries it will fail.No matter what this is very true.hahahaha
@Mahalindia; I think you are trying to spin this. From what I have read so far it's not only the government members who are involved.
READ AGAIN.
"Information gathered so far had revealed that people from all levels of Maldivian society were affected, “including underage females juveniles, young women, professional and semi-professional persons, and people of both genders working all across the country."
Who ever they are, their names should be made public. Also under age kids who had done wrong should also be punished. Making things public is only way to improve society.
Police should leak it to media since obviously MPs and Judges will do nothing in the short or long term.
Oh goodie. Goodie.
Another knife being thrown. And returned equally vehemently.
If we all stopped in our tracks of progress, we would be still be shitting at water front, and at night playing 'foolhu dhigu handi' or rannamaari with the most beautiful girl in town...
But is that what we want? In all societies there are evil and good, scared and daring, weak and strong. It has nothing to do with religion.
This kind of activity is forbidden in all religions. So, in effect, if we followed any religion this would not happen.
Scientifically it has been proven that genetics and physiology and the make of the brain, increases propensity for daring, crimes, psychopaths. And even in 3year olds this can be detected.
The propensity to be good or bad is inbuilt even at birth. Circumstances afterwards pull them towards crimes. And some are attracted to it more.
Most do not stray away from good. But some do.
Don't bring religious cock and bull story into this. Just punish those criminals for the sake of controlling this. Not for the sake of a god, for he can take care of it himself if he wishes so. But do for the sake of country.
“including underage females juveniles, young women, professional and semi-professional persons, and people of both genders working all across the country.”
Why didnt you mention it also involve member of parliament (MPS )and close friends of President Nasheed too local media reports.
Minivan used to get all the juicy stuff which the mainstream Maldivian media do not Talk about.
For some reason Minivan seems to be holding back. Vested interests?? huh
koba Dr.Waheed's son Jeffery Waheed to blame this on the conservative Islamist? As he is the modernist who accepts drinking alcohol and these sick acts!!!
When minors are taken advantage of, you cannot destroy their lives by making their mistakes public. I have no qualms with exposing these immoral individuals as long as they are over the age of 18. Under that age, they must be protected. It is a basic right of every child. Anyone who took advantage of them MUST be prosecuted.
what a fake pathetic excuse for a news site this is. this is our equivalent of fox news in USA. my visits to this site had been becoming less and less frequent and it seems there is not gonna be a change in this trend for me. minivannews, you're insulting many educated maldivians with your poor pretend "independence". this is not why we brought mdp. drp may still not be an option for a lot of us but now more and more are not even coming out to vote. we are getting sick of this open blatantly wicked decisions by the government. its like they do something against the beliefs of the vast majority of our population and then just give them the finger. get your act together and clean up before you come in front of us again next time.
the two large parties of this country are such a sad disappointment. one of them is still gonna take charge next election but maybe with less than 50% eligible voters casting a vote.
We've always said that there is blackmail and counter-blackmail going on between various political factions within the country.
If some kids can lure these guys, God knows how much more sophisticated attempts have been made successfully in blackmailing the Maldivian hierarchy!
Ever wonder why people like Yameen and Jagiyaa Nazim walk around with such confidence despite their past records?
@Maldivian Adamntinoma. Fundies and Wahhabies are yet to be invovled! When that happens it will become juicy for Minivan News
hope the details come out and I hope the innocent and guilty are properly filtered.
This is good news. Its good to see that the tactics and dirty politics MDP used to change regime is used against them. We are getting matured. More and more people resorting to these kinds of things means MDP is successful in bringing change.
I should say, these kids have done great JOB.MSN messenger and other social networks are not for uploading or streaming nude videos and photos.NOW WE SEE THE PICTURE. I think these mentally ill politicians must step aside from our countries affairs and face justice. Enough is Enough. GO HOME
Force them to quit. They should not hold responsible positions.
Where is the street protest now, why is Adhaalath mute on this issue. Is Hussain Rasheed and Shaheem also on friends list of Angelica Sharown?
Is it really true that you have sick people at top echelon of your government? People stroking their genitals at the sight a ‘dancing’ nude lady!
this should be on international news!
What is nude sex?
can some tell me where i can see these pics and videos.
PS: ADHD, im not sure about nude sex, but i think its having sex naked. LOL
that's a fake story.. Those videos are taking will they re having web cam sex with a foreigner .. Nd those guys are from governmen.. They are trying to hide tha truth...