16-year-old boys dies after fall from building

A 16-year-old boy died last night while being treated at Haa Dhaalu Kulhudhuhfushi regional hospital after he fell down from the roof of a building under construction.

Local media has identified the boy as Ahmed Visham of Vinares, Haa Dhaalu NeyKurendhoo.

While speaking to Raaje.mv, Neykurendhoo Council President Mohamed Sizan said that the incident occurred at around 6.30pm and that the boy fell down a distance of about 25 feet.

Visham was taken to the Kulhudhuhfushi where he was treated at the ICU before he passed away at 1.15am.

The fall reportedly broke bones in his calf area and arms while also causing several injuries to his head and face.

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Baby girl found in bag pronounced dead

An abandoned baby girl who was discovered inside a bag at a residence in Maafanu, Malé, has been pronounced dead today.

The baby was discovered at midnight last night, police told Minivan News, estimating that the she had been left inside the bag since yesterday.

Police then took the baby to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), where the child was pronounced dead at 1pm today. Local media have reported the incident to have been infanticide.

The mother of the baby has not yet been taken into custody, added police, who declined to give any other information about the mother and father of the child.

Local newspaper Haveeru has reported family members as saying that the cause of death was suffocation.

Sources from the family, who had not been aware of the pregnancy, were also reported to have said the 18-year-old had given birth alone in the bathroom of her residence on Friday.

“From her stomach, or her actions, we were not aware that she was pregnant. However we previously questioned her about her not getting her menstruation periods,” a family member told the paper.

“She replied then that her periods are irregular, and that it is the norm to have three or four month delays. She was agile and often climbed up the stairs to the third floor with bottles of water and things quite easily. However, it raised suspicions that on Friday she was often clutching her belly,” the family source continued.

The family member said that people in the household had questioned her out of concern on Friday as she was bleeding profusely. The girl, however, refused to admit anything was wrong though the family eventually took her to hospital.

“She didn’t admit to anything even after she was taken into hospital on Friday. However, doctors kept questioning her about her marital status,” a young female member of the girl’s family told Haveeru.

“Then yesterday she confessed that she gave birth alone and flushed the baby down the toilet. The people of this house were sleepless with fright when today she said she gave birth and put the baby into a suitcase in the room.”

Family reported the matter to police after the girl’s confession. The mother is still hospitalised.

The family is said to have expressed regret about the incident, stating that they would have taken care of the infant if the girl had confessed rather than resorting to infanticide.

Issues regarding a lack of support services for women with unwanted pregnancies in the Maldives have been well-documented in the past.

A report entitled ‘Maldives Operational Review for the ICPD Beyond 2014‘, carried out by the Department of National Planning, claimed that incidents of infanticide and unsafe abortions are symptoms of a lack of sexual education in young Maldivians.

The report identified, “clear indicators of the imperative need to provide access to information on sexual reproductive health and reproductive health services to the sexually active adolescents and youth population.”

Infanticide also appears to be increasing, as demonstrated by media reports cited in the study, which included several new born babies and few premature babies abandoned in parks, buried in secluded places, or thrown into the sea.

“These are clear indications for the need of life skills programmes and reproductive health education,” the study suggested. “Access and utilisation of contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancies must also be advocated to minimise these issues.”

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Court grants opportunity to appoint lawyers in murder of 16-year old

The Criminal Court has given the four persons charged with the murder of 16 year-old Mohamed Arham the opportunity to appoint defence lawyers after the judge decided that their current legal representative was not cooperating with the court.

According to local media present at today’s hearing the judge told the court has been facing difficulties when conducting the trial of the case because of their defence lawyer.

Arham’s body was found in May 2012 with stab wounds in his neck, back and chest with blood all over his body, the surrounding ground, and on the walls of the park.

Deputy Head of Police Serious and Organised Crime, Dhaudh Mohamed, said shortly after the attack that Arham had been killed in a revenge attack after an argument between two gangs.

Dhaudh said that the police investigation had  found out that Arham had a close relationship with the gang, who were based in the park in which he was found dead. The victim had no previous criminal record, although he used to visit the park frequently.

The four suspects charged in the case were previously identified by the court and police as Mohamed Sufyan of Gahdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, Mohamed Visaam of Maavah in Laamu Atoll, Mansoor Yousuf of the same island, and Athif Rasheed of Mahchangolhi Scenery View.

During today’s hearing the judge asked each of them individually if they wanted to appoint a lawyer. Defendant Athif said that he would like the state to appoint him a lawyer if his family was unable to do so.

Sufyan also said that he had been trying to appoint a lawyer but had been facing difficulties due the charge being one of murder

Visam told the court that his family had not responded to his phone calls and he would like the state to appoint a lawyer for him.

Mansoor said that his family has asked him to appoint a lawyer and he would also like to request the state to appoint a lawyer for him.

The local media reported that the judge had announced the next hearing of the case was scheduled for October 31,and that those who requested the state to appoint lawyers for them would be granted the opportunity on that day.

On March 30, patrolling police officers discovered Arham, of Noree house in Haa Alif Atoll Hoarafushil, inside the park behind Kulliyathul Dhirasathul Islamiyya (Islamic College).

The victim’s friends insisted that the assailants attacked him while he was sleeping inside the park that night.

On November 1, Sun Online reported that the Prosecutor General’s Office lawyers had told the judge that on May 30 between 1:00am and 6:00am Athif, Visam and Mansoor had gone to the park on motorbikes with some other people.

The lawyer told the judge that Visam, Sufyan and Mansoor had entered the park and assaulted Arham before leaving with Athif and some other people.

Arham was studying in grade nine at Dharumavantha School when he was killed.

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Court extends detention of man accused of killing traffic police officer

Police have confirmed that a motorcyclist who collided with and killed a police constable in the earlier hours of Friday morning is being treated in Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

A police spokesperson told Minivan News that 27 year-old Hassan Afeef suffered injuries in the collision, but would not give details.

‘’Although he is in hospital, he is under police charge. The court has granted a 15 day extension of his pre-trial detention,” the spokesperson said.

The passenger on the motorcycle was also arrested, but was released by the Criminal Court when police sought to extend his detention.

IGMH’s spokesperson Zeenath Ali declined to provide information of the injuries Afeef had received, with local media claiming he had requested the hospital withhold information about his condition.

Previously media reports stated that Afeef was taken into custody and then to IGMH.

In a statement issued yesterday, police alleged Afeef had a previous record of assaulting and intentionally crashing into traffic police officers, and had previously been arrested.

Twenty-two year-old Constable Misbah Abdulla was killed while manning a checkpoint near the President’s jetty in Male’, after the speeding motorcycle collided with him.

According to police, the collision threw the officer 80 feet from the checkpoint. He was taken to ADK hospital but later died of his injuries.

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Man found dead after morning swim in Thaa Atoll

A man from Kinbidhoo Island in Thaa Atoll was found dead after he went for a morning swim today (May 9), reports local media.

The man was taken to the island’s health centre by the group of people who discovered his body.

He was identified as Abdul Kareem Dauood of Andhaasy Villa, Kinbidhoo Island.

The examining doctor determined Dauood was already deceased when he was brought to the centre, according to a police media official.

The police were notified of the incident at 12:49 and are looking into the cause of the incident, a police media official told local media.

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Majeedhiya School student hit by basketball dies in hospital

Fourteen year old Majeedhiya School student Ali Shan has died in hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka,  after receiving critical injuries to his skull while playing basketball in the Maldives.

According to local media reports, the boy died at about 4:30pm this afternoon and his body was now being prepared for the funeral.

Shan was admitted to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) on Friday following the incident,and was later transferred to Sri Lanka.

Shan’s family told local newspapers that he was hit on the nose by the basketball and was taken to the hospital by friends.

According to Shan’s family, he fainted after he reached the hospital. His brain was not functioning when he was admitted to hospital but his heart was functioning, according to local newspapers.

Newspaper ‘Haveeru’ reported that his body will be laid to rest today after Maqrib prayers.

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Body of 53 year-old man found in Male’

The body of a 53-year-old man has been found in a house in Male after the public notified police of a foul smell in the area.

Speaking to local media on Saturday (February 23), Head of Serious and Organised Crime Department Chief Inspector Mohamed Daud said the dead man found at M Ever Free had been identified as Mohamed Ali Ismail of Faafu Dharanboondhoo Finifenmaage.

According to local media, police suspect the man to have died of natural causes.

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47-year old woman found dead in Fuvuhmulah

A 47-year old woman, identified as Hawwa Shareefa, has been found dead in Funaadu ward of Fuvahmulah, local media has reported.

The incident was brought to the local council’s attention at around 11:30AM today after her body had been found by children swimming in the area.

Media reported that she had been seen alive by islanders between one to one and a half hours before her body was discovered.

Assistant manager of Fuvahmulah Hospital told Sun Online that Shareefa had not been in the water long before being discovered.  It was also reported that Shareefa suffered from some form of mental health issue.

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Missing five year-old boy found dead in Lhaviyani Atoll

Police have said that a five year-old boy reported missing from Naifaru in Lhaviyani Atoll has been found dead this morning as investigations continue into the exact cause of death.

The Maldives Police Service said that the child’s body was discovered at 1:20am today in the lagoon of Naifaru. The boy has since been identified by law enforcement officials as Hassan Javid Ibrahim of Muleeha house in Naifaru.

Officers from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the police joined islanders in searching for the boy after his family reported that he had gone missing at 1:30pm.

Search teams began searching the island’s lagoon for the boy after the child’s slippers were discovered drifting in the local waters at about 4:15pm, police have said.

An islander from Naifaru who spoke to Minivan News on condition of anonymity said that the boy’s mother was believed to have sent the child to the island’s harbour to see if his dad returned from fishing.  The islander said that the boy did not return.

According to the source, the child was last seen at 3pm the same day near the harbour area of the island, where it had been raining at the time.

The islander said they believed that the person who had saw the child may not have known at the time that he was missing, or perhaps did not understand the severity of the situation.

The same source claimed that once the body of the child had been recovered, there appeared to be no visible injuries.

With investigations into the case continuing, Police  Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef today told Minivan News that it was not yet possible to speculate on the potential cause of death.

“We will inform the media after concluding the investigation,’’ said Haneef.

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