Last night a group of people entered a house in Henveiru ward and attacked a middle-aged man while he was asleep in the house, before fleeing with more than Rf 200,000 (US$13,000), a laptop and a mobile phone.
Local media reported that police confirmed the incident, but gave little information about the case.
Newspaper Haveeru reported that the man was attacked with a screw driver and suffered injuries to his head.
Police are investigating the case.
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(0)A Maldivian drug kingpin, who was among the top six dealers the President announced had been identified by the government, has been arrested in India on a joint special operation conducted by Maldives police and the Indian Drug Bureau.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that the man was arrested yesterday while he was in India.
“He was arrested in a joint special operation conducted by the police Drug Enforcement Department and India’s Drug Bureau,” Shiyam said. “He is currently being held in detention in India.”
Shiyam said that his name and other details of the operation will be provided later.
On February 28 last year, Criminal Court ruled that Adam Naseer of H. Reendhooge was innocent of dealing drugs. He was later named by the President as one of the top drug dealers in the Maldives.
Police searched Naseer’s home in Addu Atoll on 30 June 2009, where they found over Rf6 million (US$461,500) in cash and a tin containing drugs outside his house.
On June 26, police arrested an individual suspected of being one of the Maldives’ most high-profile drug dealers after spending several months collecting information about his procedures for importing narcotics.
The Head of the police’s Drug Enforcement Department (DED), Superintendent Mohamed Jinah, told members of the press that the alleged drug lord was arrested on June 24, along with several companions also suspected of being involved in supplying drugs.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have arrested two men and a minor on suspicion of raping an Indian nurse working in the island of Gulhi in Kaafu Atoll.
Deputy Chair of the Gulhi Island Council, Abdulla Shiham, told Minivan News that the incident occurred last Friday night.
“That night a council member was phoned and informed about the incident at 12:30am in the morning,” he explained. “I myself went to the house where the nurse was staying and we reported it to the police right away. Police arrived the next morning because the weather was bad and no speedboat was available at the time.”
Police started their investigation the following morning, said Shiham, and arrested a 19 year-old, a 24 year-old and a minor.
“The nurse has worked for the island for almost five years and she has helped the islanders in many ways,” he continued. “We condemn this action with the strongest possible terms and we call on police and judiciary to give them the harshest penalty possible, even to the minor.”
Islanders were all frustrated and sad about the incident, the council chair said.
“When the doctor in the island health centre goes for vacation the nurse will not let us feel the absence of the doctor, she cares for the islanders very well, even if we asked she would open the health centre at midnight,” he added.
While the nurse wanted to come back to work for the island, Shiham said her husband did not want her to stay there any longer and she left the next day.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the arrests were made and said the investigation was underway.
(0)Dislikes(0)Two expatriates working on the island of Innamaadhoo in Raa Atoll have been arrested on charges of sexually abusing two young girls.
Deptuty Chair of the Island Council Abdulla Shafeeq told Minivan News today that both expatriates were Bangladeshi nationals and that they have been living on the island for almost a year.
“The two expats showed pornographic materials to the girls – the girls would be only nine years of age,” Shafeeq said. “One man is 24 and the other is 30 years-old.”
Shafeeq said the abuse had been going on for some time, and the first incident occurred about a month ago.
“But yesterday at school, the girls told their classmate about this and then the parents found out,” he said.
Shafeeq said the two men were then summoned to the Council Office.
“Four islanders went to their place to get them and they refused and attacked the four,” Shafeeq said, adding that later a confrontation between the islanders and the two men also occurred while they were inside the council office.
He said that the two men were later taken away by police.
“The police arrested them and we received no further information,” Shafeeq said.
He said that the two expats have been working on the island in the construction industry.
Local media cited an islander as stating that the two girls were threatened using a knife, however Shafeeq could not confirm the allegations.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said police are currently investigating the case.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to six months imprisonment after the police discovered two plastic sex toys inside his room.
The court identified the offender as Musthafa Hussein of Mahchangolhi Feyruge.
According to the Criminal Court, possession of objects shaped like sexual organs were prohibited under articles 4(c) and 13(c) the Contraband Act of 1975.
While article 4 of the Act states that pornographic material cannot be brought into the country, under article 13[c] images, sounds or videos depicting sexual activities as well as objects made to look like sexual organs shall be considered pornographic material for legal purposes.
Musthafa was therefore charged with possession of pornographic material.
The sex toys were discovered by police when they searched his room during a special operation on April 30, 2011.
(0)Dislikes(2)Police have arrested a group of men including the chairman of an anti-drug NGO for allegedly drugging and raping a 15 year old girl on the island of Guraidhoo in Kaafu Atoll.
An islander told Minivan News that the incident occurred on Sunday night when the girl allegedly accompanied the five men who were intending to use marijuana.
“They did not forcibly take her to [to the area near the cemetery] but she went with them, and there they raped her,” he said. “The next day she told her mother about the incident and she reported it to police.”
He said the police arrested the men on Monday afternoon and took the girl to the island’s health centre.
According to the islander, two of the five men detained by police were minors. They were summoned to Maafushi Court in Kaafu Atoll Maafushi, an island very close to Guraidhoo.
“Maafushi Court extended the detention of three adults to 10 days and released the two minors to house arrest,” he said. “The three have been brought to Male’ and are currently in Atholhuvehi Police Custodial.”
He added that the Chairman of the drug NGO was also a staff member at the island council office.
A police spokesperson confirmed to Minivan News that four men had been arrested in connection with the case.
“The police were informed that a group of men on the island drugged a 15 year-old girl and attempted to rape her,” he said. “Four men were arrested in connection with the case.”
The police investigation in continuing.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Prosecutor General (PG)’s Office today pressed criminal charges against three persons accused of murdering 61 year-old Hussain Mohamed after taking him hostage and robbing him on Hoarafushi in Haa Alifu Atoll.
Hussain, a prominent businessman known as ‘Hussainbe’, was found dead inside an abandoned house in September last year.
The PG’s lawyer told the judge that the three of them stole more than Rf 100,000 and US$1000 in cash but the three denied the charges, according to local media.
Police at the time said they believed that year-old Hussain Mohamed may have been murdered.
An official from the island office had told Minivan News that the body was discovered by the caretaker of the building that night.
“There were no injuries on the outside his body,’’ said the island official. ‘’He is from another island but has lived in Hoarafushi for a long time.’’
Local media reported that Manik’s hands were tied behind his back with rope, and that the body was lying on the ground in a prone position when discovered.
The island official said that it had rained heavily the previous evening, and that “nobody goes out in the rain. The streets would probably have been empty.”
The sale of oil in Hoarafushi in Haa Alifu ceased following the death of the prominent businessman.
(0)Dislikes(0)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.
(3)Dislikes(0)The President’s Office has announced that fishermen’s income has been increasing steadily over the past few months, while the price of fish has remained constant.
President Mohamed Nasheed said the government aims to support income growth for fishermen, and provided there are no changes to the industry’s current operations, profit levels will be maintained.
Speaking in his weekly radio address, the President further stated that retailers have reporters higher profits this Ramadan than in recent years. He noted that market prices have been controlled, and said the Maldivian economy was moving in the right direction.
Crime ratings have dropped in the past few months, and violent crime rates are notably low, the President claimed.
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