Tag: crime

Three men stabbed in cafe, two motorcycles burnt

A group of men attacked three men inside a coffee shop in Mahchangolhi last night.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that the three men were injured and were admitted to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

”One of them was stabbed in the back and his condition is serious, the other two were stablised after medical treatment and have now have been discharged,” said Shiyam. ”They were attacked while they were inside a cafe.”

He said that the coffee shop had requested police not to reveal its identity ”as the case has no connection with the coffee shop.”

He noted that police have been continuing special operations to curb gang violence and crime in Male’.

”But now we are not conducting operations at the level we did during the holidays,” he added.

Also last night, two motorbikes parked in two different areas of Male’ were burned in an apparent arson attack.

Police said that one motorbike parked in Buruzumagu was found burned at 3:10am last night.

Police officers patrolling the streets saw the motorbike on fire and doused it with water, and the motorbike was not severely damaged.

Another motorbike parked near Galolhu cemetery was found burnt last night at 4:00am, police said.

Police said that one ‘Pulsar’ motorcycle and two ‘Wave’ motorcycles were severely damaged in the incident.

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Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case

The Criminal Court of the Maldives yesterday sentenced Mohamed Nabeel to death for the murder of Abdulla Faruhad, after reviewing the statements of witnesses and finding him guilty of the crime.

The Judge said that article 88[d] of the penal code of the Maldives stated that murders should be dealt accordingly to the Islamic Shariah and that persons found guilty of murder ”shall be executed” if no inheritor of the victim denies the murderer to be executed, according to Islamic Shari’ah.

The Criminal Court identified the murderer as Mohamed Nabeel, G. Reef and the victim as Abdulla Faruhad of Hulhudhoo in Seenu Atoll. As no inheritor of the victim opposed his execution, Nabeel was sentenced to death.

This is the first such sentence to be issued in a case related to gang murder. Previous death sentences issued in the Maldives have included (in 2005) those found to be involved in the death in custody of Evan Naseem, and the perpetrators of 1988 coup. None of these sentences were implemented.

The Prosecutor General’s office filed the case against Nabeel after the police arrested him on charges of deliberately killing Faruhad in revenge for harassing his sister Aiminath Niuma. The case report did not mention what kind of harassment occurred.

The judge said that during the police investigation Niuma admitted that her brother Nabeel attempted to attack Faruhad with a six inch box cutter on March 8, 2009.

In her statement to police, Niuma said she attempted to stop her brother from attacking Faruhad as he tried to flee, the judge stated.

However Niuma was unable to control her brother from throwing the box cutter at Faruhad which lodged in his back. Faruhad died the next day from his injuries.

The PG’s office presented CCTV footage of the incident and three witnesses.

The judge said that although Niuma had later in court dismissed her statements to police, which were fingerprinted by her father as she was underage at the time, ”it is unbelievable that her father read the statement and would fingerprint a false statement given regarding his own son.”

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said he did not know how the sentence would be carried out,  but police would implement the verdict if requested by the court.

Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said he had not yet seen the ruling and would be unable to comment before going through the case.

Press secretary for the president Mohamed Zuhair said the the government would comment on the matter only after the judicial procedure was over, ”otherwise it could be considered as an influence on the verdict.”

He said that the accused had a 90 day term to appeal at higher courts if he felt the judgment was unfair.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the last death sentence issued in the Maldives was following the 1988 coup attempt. This has been corrected to reflect the verdict in the trial over the death in custody of Evan Naseem.

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Qur’an teacher on child sex abuse charges moved to house arrest

Former Qari Hussein Thaufeeq, arrested last month on multiple charges of child sex abuse, has been transferred to house arrest, reports Haveeru.

Renowned Qari Thaufeeq, Maafannu Dreamy Light, was arrested on 17 August this year and faces up to 18 years imprisonment if found guilty.

He was transferred to house arrest on Friday, as confirmed by the Criminal Court and the police.

The penalty for child sex abuse, according to the Child Sex Abuse (Special Provisions) Act, is 10-14 years but can be extended to 15-18 years if the accused was in a position of trust with the childrenhe allegedly abused.

Thaufeeq was a resource person at the Centre for Holy Quran in Male’ when the allegations were made against him.

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Three suspects arrested in Manik murder investigation

Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the alleged murder of oil businessman Hussain Mohamed Manik, who found dead inside an abandoned house on Hoarafushi in Haa Alifu Atoll yesterday.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said it was “too early in the investigation for police to release information”, however newspaper Haveeru published the names of those it claimed were the suspects and said they were Hoarafushi natives of 18-25 years of age.

Manik”s alleged murder has gripped the country and triggered uproar among the islanders, who have blamed the incident on gang attacks and set several huts on fire in retaliation.

Media reported yesterday 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. An island official told Minivan News that there were no injuries on the outside the body.

President Mohamed Nasheed has meanwhile issued a statement of condolences to members of the bereaved family, while the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has “strongly condemned the violation of the right to life”, and called on “concerned state institutions” to “take strong action against such inhuman activities.”

Islanders have reported that oil is unobtainable on Hoarafushi since Manik’s death.

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Sale of oil terminates in Hoarafushi after businessman murdered

The sale of oil in Hoarafushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll has ceased following the death prominent businessman Hussain Mohamed Manik, reports daily newspaper Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that sales had ended as there was no other oil businessman on the island.

The body of the businessman was discovered in an abandoned house in Hoarafushi yesterday morning, and police believe he was murdered.

A special squad of police attended the island for investigation yesterday afternoon.

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Nephew stabs uncle in dispute

A dispute between two nephews and their uncle led to one of the men up stabbing the uncle in the ear, reports reports daily newspaper Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that two persons, including the uncle and another man who was stabbed in the chest, were injured during the incdient on Hithadhoo in Seenu Atoll.

Police have arrested three people in connection with the case.

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Life imprisonment and two months fasting for man who murdered brother

The Criminal Court has convicted Saeed Hussain of Neykurandhoo in Haadhaalu Atoll of murdering his own brother in October last year.

“Considering the confession of the accused, and as it is proven by the words of the doctor who declared the death of Umar Hussain [his brother], the death was the direct result of the stabbings,’’ the judge said.

The judge said that Saeed could not prove that his actions were conducted without the intention of murdering his brother, ruling him guilty of murder and sentencing him to life imprisonment.

He also ordered that Saeed fast for two months.

Saeed’s brother Umar died after he was stabbed nine times in different parts of his body. One of the attacks cut the veins in his neck.

Saeed admitted that he stabbed his brother but claimed he was drunk at the time, did not even know how many times he stabbed his brother. He claimed he attacked his brother after he reportedly saw him attacking his mother.

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Three men acquitted of murdering 14-year-old boy

The Criminal Court of the Maldives today acquitted three men charged with murdering a 14-year-old boy in April 2008 after three key witnesses retracted their statements.

While four witnesses identified the defendants for the police investigation, Judge Muhthaz Fahmy noted that the three witnesses who testified at the trial claimed that they could not positively identify the accused, Mohamed Waseem, Gaaf Alif Villigili, Musthafa Moosa, Male’ registry 4126, and Ihusaanudheen “Ihu” Rasheed of Galolhu Masodige.

Judge Muhthaz ruled that the Prosecutor General’s (PG’s) office could not present sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Shifau Ismail, 14

The 14-year-old victim, Shifau “Kudaso” Ismail, was killed in April 2008 at the peak of brutal gang violence in the capital.

On the evening of April 4, Shifau and a group of friends were ambushed and chased near Galolhu Masodige after they knocked over some tin walls in the area.

Shifau was separated from his friends and was caught by the gang after he entered a nearby house to hide.

The gang reportedly threw Shifau down the stairs of Galolhuaage and beat him with bats and other weapons.

Shifau died on September 12 while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at the Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital.

None of the suspects charged in the half dozen gang-related murder cases of the past three years have yet been convicted.

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16-year-old stabbed

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed three times in the back near Star Cinema in Maafannu ward on Tuesday night, according to police.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the victim was taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial hospital for treatment following the attack.

However, Shiyam said it was too early to say whether or not the attack was linked to the controversial gang-favourite sport ‘Baibala’.

‘’We are still investigating the case and we haven’t discovered yet whether the stabbings are linked to Baibala tournament,” he said.

The government initially refused to authorise the annual Baibala Tournament this year after police expressed concern with the potential for violence between gangs during the competition.

However, permission was granted after a group of 150 players petitioned the president outside his residence.

Last month, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death after a football match between two gangs in the ’Maaziya’ football ground.

According to eyewitnesses, the victim was attacked by a group armed with knives and sticks.

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