Police arrested a 23-year-old male suspect yesterday while he was attempting to smuggle MVR700,000 (US$45,396) worth of drugs to Addu City.
According to police media, the individual arrived in Gan airport in the southernmost atoll on Maldivian flight Q2-101 with the illicit narcotics taped around his thighs.
The case is under investigation by the Hithadhoo police station.
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(0)Ahmed Farrah of Evening Rose in Maafannu Ward of capital Malé City has been fined an amount of MVR 3000 for attempting assault on a police officer.
The Criminal Court sentenced Farrah to pay the fine to the court within a period of 30 days.
Local media reports that he was prosecuted for attempting to assault a police officer who tried to stop him at a checkpoint in 2012.
(0)Dislikes(0)A French tourist, aged 33 years, who was reported missing during snorkeling on Wednesday has been discovered dead this morning.
The tourist was staying at Filitheyo Island Resort in Faafu Atoll.
Police revealed that the body was found 30 meters underwater at 9:00 am this morning.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have identified the body discovered in the Malé sea near Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital as 36-year-old Azmee Latheef of Maadhan’dige in Maadhandu ward of the island of Fuvahmulah in Gnaviyani Atoll.
Police further revealed that according to the victim’s family, he was mentally challenged. They added that no missing persons report had been filed prior to their finding the body.
They claimed that further details of the victim cannot be revealed to the public as the family objected against releasing information.
Police did not provide details of the cause of death and stated that the investigation is ongoing.
(0)Dislikes(0)A 37-year-old man has been arrested from the island of Dhevvadhoo in Gaaf Dhaalu atoll on charges of assaulting a minor of 13 years.
According to Dhevvadhoo Island Council, the man assaulted the 13-year-old after his son accused him of spitting on him during a fight. They quoted eyewitnesses as saying the man took the boy by the throat and threw him on to the ground.
While the boy was released from hospital after immediate medical attention, he suffered from a ‘seizure’ and lost consciousness on the following day. He was then taken to Thinadhoo Hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit.
He is now being transferred to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in capital Malé City for further treatment.
(0)Dislikes(0)Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Fairoosh who previously served as the Maldives Police Services development directorate head has been transferred to the post of executive officer to the minister at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Although Fairoosh works at the Home Ministry offices, his post remains as a position with the Maldives Police Services.
(0)Dislikes(0)The number of crimes reported to the Maldives Police Services in first half of 2014 has dropped by nearly six percent compared to the previous year, police statistics have revealed.
The total number of crimes reported within the first six months of 2013 was 7746, while this year it has come down to 7292 cases.
While there were reductions in all major categories of crimes reported, the most significant drops were seen in counterfeit and forgery case, and domestic violence.
Counterfeit and forgery cases – the least reported category of crime – dropped by nearly 38 percent, from 69 cases in 2013 to 43 in 2014.
The number of domestic violence cases lodged with police fell from 120 in 2013 to just 94 cases in 2014 – a fall of nearly 22 percent.
The number of domestic violence cases lodged at the police annually had been increasing gradually since 2010.
Local women’s NGO Hope For Women last year said the anti-domestic violence legislation enacted in 2012 did very little to improve the situation for victims of such crimes.
The organisation said that while the police were prepared for its implementation, but lack of mechanisms still left the force handicapped.
According to the police statistics, reported sexual offenses cases also dropped from 341 to 316 within the first six months of this year.
Theft – the most reported crime in both years – saw the second greatest reduction, with 3113 cases in 2013 to 2893 cases. Meanwhile, robbery cases increased by more than nine percent.
Drugs, the second most reported crime, dropped by approximately two percent – from 1974 in 2013 to 1929 this year. Assault cases were came down from 659 to 602 cases, while road traffic cases dropped from 1188 to 1156.
Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed has said that reduced number of cases in the first six months was the result of the force’s special efforts to reduce crime with targeted objectives included in the MPS strategic plan and the annual business plan.
A survey published by ‘Transparency Maldives‘ earlier this year revealed a lack of public confidence in state institutions – including the police.
In the survey conducted among 1000 randomly selected individuals, 32 percent stated they had “no confidence at all” in the police, while the same number of individuals said they had a ‘great deal of confidence’ in them.
A UNDP sponsored human rights survey published by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives in 2013 also revealed dissatisfaction with police services.
Approximately 32 percent of respondents were not satisfied with the police services. When asked what it was they were dissatisfied with, they mentioned the failure to deal with crimes, inability to contact in times of need, bias, torture and corruption.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have discovered the body of a male in the sea near Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé.
Police stated that the discovery was reported to them at around 1:35pm by a group who spotted the body afloat in the sea.
“We cannot yet say whether the man is a local, nor have we established his age. The investigation is ongoing, and we will reveal further information as the examination of the body is completed,” police media official stated.
(0)Dislikes(0)A man has been arrested in Hulhumeedhoo, Addu City, for obstructing police duties and assaulting a police officer. Police revealed that the man is currently sentenced to a total of 24 years in jail for previous criminal offences.
Four cases of drug abuse and one case of theft are included among the man’s criminal offences.
The detained man is a Maldivian national aged 36. Another man of 22 years, was also arrested along with him for obstructing police duties and attempting to flee while in possession of narcotics.
The 22-year-old man also has a previous record of assault with sharp objects and robbery.
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