Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of eating during daylight hours in the first five days of Ramadan.
Four were arrested from Thaa Atoll Dhiyamigili today, while another four were arrested in Malé this week. The police say they have received seven complaints over eating during daylight hours.
A court in Thaa Atoll Veymandhoo has detained the four men for three days. Three of the four arrested were arrested previously for drug abuse, the police said.
The criminal court in Malé on Friday extended the remand detention of three men arrested in Malé to seven days and one suspect to five days.
Some suspects were released after interrogation or with advice, a police media official said.
Consumption of food without a reasonable excuse during Ramadan is a criminal offence in the Maldives. The cases are usually proved with testimonies of eyewitnesses or the perpetrator. Those guilty are fined MVR150 for “disobedience to orders” under article 88 (a) of the 1968 penal code.
The criminal court has fined several people found guilty of eating or smoking during fasting hours.
In 2013, the police said they arrested on average two people a day for eating during daylight hours in Ramadan.
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