Tag: police

Two persons arrested for theft

Maldives Police Services have announced that they have recovered part of MVR 50,000 stolen from an individual’s safe in the island of Madifushi in Thaa Atoll.

According to police, the underage daughter of the safe’s owner stole the money and gave it to her partner.

Police have arrested two Maldivian men aged 18 and 22. The 22 year old is reported to have a previous record of robbery and drug abuse. The men were arrested from a boat that arrived in Malé on Wednesday morning (June 18).

Police said they discovered MVR 27,000 from the 22 year old’s baggage and another MVR 3,300 from his wallet.

“While being questioned, the 22 year old man confessed that the money was given to him by his romantic partner on his request. He further stated that he has spent some of the stolen money, and hidden away MVR 15,000 on Madifushi,” police stated.

Police added that since the female accomplice is under the age of 18, she will be questioned in the presence of representatives from the Gender and Family Protection Unit.

Police have now recovered and returned a total of MVR 45,700 from the stolen MVR 50,000 to its owner.

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Gasim’s remarks vindicate MDP’s stance on “coup”: MP Imthiyaz

Gasim Ibrahim’s revelations of pressure from within the judiciary and the security services to endorse President Abdulla Yameen’s candidacy vindicate allegations of a “coup d’etat” on February 7, 2012, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy ‘Inthi’ has said.

The Jumhooree Party (JP) leader said last week that he was urged to support Yameen by judges as well as police and army officers.

Gasim had claimed at a press conference on Tuesday (June 17) that he decided to back the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate in the presidential election run-off in November 2013 after the requests “for the sake” of the institutions.

Speaking to Minivan News, MP Imthiyaz noted that the MDP had maintained that “sections of the judiciary, the military and the police were part of the coup and the subsequent unlawful and unconstitutional interference in the presidential and the parliamentary elections.”

“Now this truth is coming straight from the horse’s mouth,” the re-elected MP for Maafanu North observed.

“If the judiciary, the military and the police were to decide who should hold the office of the president then it gives a horrifying message. And in fact it happened as they demanded, thus people’s power was violated.”

Kingmaker

Gasim had said that judges as well as police and army officers had met him personally and appealed to him to support the PPM candidate.

“Otherwise we had been silent [on endorsing a candidate] and neutral. We made that decision after considering the unrest and instability and possible harm to the public caused by the rising political tension,” the business tycoon had said.

He also claimed to have spent MVR20 million on Yameen’s campaign in the three days leading up to the run-off polls on November 16.

After finishing in third place with 23.27 percent of the vote in the repeat first round of the presidential election, Gasim initially announced that the JP would not back either candidate.

However, the JP’s council reversed its decision to remain neutral following a meeting between Gasim and PPM leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed had emerged the frontrunner in the first round revote with 46.93 percent while Yameen polled 29.73 percent.

After endorsing Yameen, Gasim told the press that the JP decided to form a coalition with the PPM in order to “[overcome] the challenges faced by police, military and the judiciary, to save them from undeserved allegations made against them by certain groups, to maintain the independence of this Ummah [Islamic community] and nation, and for the protection of our religion and motherland.”

Meanwhile, at last week’s press conference, JP Deputy Leader Ilham Ahmed insisted that the police, army, and judiciary would “bear witness” to the truth of Gasim’s claim.

However, online news outlet CNM has since reported that the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has denied asking the JP leader to back Yameen while the police declined to comment.

Troubled polls

Last year’s presidential election was marred by repeated delays, multiple cancellations, a Supreme Court-ordered annulment and police obstruction.

On October 7, the Supreme Court annulled the results of the first round of the polls conducted on September 7 in a controversial 4-3 decision – citing a confidential police report – despite unanimous positive assessment of the polling by more than a thousand domestic and international election observers.

While the secret police report alleging irregularities – which was not shared with the Election Commission’s (EC) defence lawyers – was dismissed by a UN expert review, the credibility of the evidence cited by the apex court was also questioned by the Human Rights Commission of Maldives after it emerged that some citizens were incorrectly recorded as being deceased.

The Supreme Court’s decision came after Gasim sought annulment of the first round results alleging widespread electoral fraud.

In what was the EC’s sixth attempt in two months to conduct polls, Yameen narrowly defeated Nasheed with 51.39 percent of the vote (111,203) to the MDP candidate’s 48.61 percent (105,181).

In January, Nasheed told reporters that the MDP suspected electoral fraud using fake national identity cards in November’s polls, contending that non-existent people were added to the database at the Department of National Registration (DNR) as part of “efforts to rig the election through the Supreme Court.”

MP Imthiyaz meanwhile noted that Gasim has now “publicly admitted” that judges met the business tycoon seeking his endorsement of the PPM candidate.

“What do you expect when an election case goes before the court at the request of the court itself? This was how the country’s democracy was completely destroyed,” Imthiyaz said.

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Suspected Facebook harasser hands himself in after manhunt

A man alleged to have posted nude pictures of women on his Facebook profile has handed himself to the police after a manhunt was declared.

Mohamed Ibrahim, 25 years, of Haa Dhaal atoll Kulhudhuffushi Island is also accused of posting profane comments and defaming government offices on his Facebook profile.

The police publicized Ibrahim’s details after he refused to cooperate with an investigation. When the police called him on the telephone, Ibrahim refused to give his current address.

The police then sought an arrest warrant from the Kulhudhuffushi Magistrate Court and declared a manhunt.

Ibrahim handed himself to the police last night.

The police declined to reveal details of how many women were affected and which government bodies had been defamed.

“We take these type of cases very seriously,” a police media official told Minivan News.

Speaking to Minivan News on Wednesday, the police said they lacked resources in tracking those behind cyber harassment, but said they would take action if there were any credible evidence of the identities of those involved.

In 2011, the police arrested 14 individuals including a minor for alleged involvement in blackmailing people after acquiring nude pictures and videos of them through Facebook.

Police discovered “hundreds of nude pictures and videos of Maldivians” in the laptops and external hard drives of those arrested.

“While some of the pictures were taken of people while drunk, other pictures were taken without the consent of the persons,” the police said.

In 2012, the Maldives Police Services set up a cyber crime department, but have called for a law to facilitate investigations of cyber crimes.

Cyber harassment and threats of violence has become common in the Maldives. Individuals who have received cyber threats of violence have been physically attacked.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives has urged the public to report online harassment or threats of violence.

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Four persons arrested for possession of alcohol

Police have last night arrested four male persons for being in possession of 86 cans of beer.

According to the police, the cans were discovered while searching a boat docked at the jetty near the Malé waste yard on Sunday night (June 8).

While the police are further investigating the matter, they revealed that the arrested men include three Maldivians and one Bangladeshi.

The penalty for alcohol possession in the penal code – to be updated next year – is either a fine of between MVR1,000 to MVR3,000 or imprisonment, banishment, or house arrest for up to three years.

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Police defiant in the face of taunts from jihadi group

The Maldives Police Service is investigating remarks made by Bilad Al Sham Media (BASM) in response to its investigation into the jihadist group.

“Whether threats are issued from within the Maldives or from outside, the police will remain confident in fulfilling our legal obligations,” police told CNM.

Responding to police attempts to locate the group, which recently reported the deaths of two Maldivians in Syria, a post on BASM’s Facebook page said they could be found at the Jabhat al-Nusra base in Idlib, northwestern Syria.

“Now lets see whether they can bring us back,” read the post.

“We will throw out the map and you shall go step by step just the way we want until you land in that pit of doom which you are headed to right now.”

Meanwhile, a former senior police officer questioned both the capacity and the desire or authorities to prosecute such activities.

The former officer pointed to the lack of comprehensive anti-terror laws in the country, as well as questioning the decision to have controversial Sheikh Adam Shameem speak at the police’s recent master parade.

“For the police to invite these people validates the accusations made by some that police and the security services are quite supportive of extremist elements and extremism in general,” said the former officer.

The jihadist BASM group’s members have claimed to be fighting with Jabhat al-Nusra – the Al Qaeda-affiliated group designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN and a number of leading western countries since its creation in 2012.

Investigations into the two men reported by BASM as having been killed – identified as Hassan Shifaz and Ali Adam from Malé and Shaviyani Feydhoo, respectively – also brought criticism from the group.

“When the Maldivian Police heard of the Maldivians being martyred in Syria, those half female creatures made sure they go enter upon their houses and question their women,” said BASM.

“If the Maldivian Police are investigating about us, then let them know that we too are investigating.”

“We cannot have another Sultan Park”

The former senior police officer, who spoke with Minivan News on condition of anonymity, suggested that current events represented the mismanagement of several governments.

“This situation has been getting bigger and bigger everyday since the incidents in Sultan Park and Himandhoo island.”

Twelve tourists were among those injured in the September 2007 blast, which was followed by violent confrontations between authorities and a radical congregation on the island of Himandhoo during the police investigation.

In addition to “fast tracked” legislation, the source called for more serious efforts to analyse the root causes for the radicalisation of Maldivians – a problem he argues can no longer be denied.

“Our terrorism act  – the legislation we have on terrorism, is from 1990 I think – is really irrelevant to the new age of violent extremist acts.”

“I think just mere investigation into something that has already happened will not do any good. There has to be some serious efforts to analyse this problem – what actually causes this problem.”

“In 2012 the government denied that Maldivians were involved in any level in violent extremism. Now the very people involved in it are very openly admitting to it,” he explained.

Identifying those involved in the financing, recruitment, and transportation of Maldivian extremists is relatively simple, he explained, while the preventive aspect is more difficult.

The officer believed that the neglect of the problem could perhaps be explained by preoccupation with the country’s turbulent domestic politics – suggesting that Sheikh Shameem’s “provocative” invitation to the Martyr’s Day parade may have been another symptom of this.

“The police have become very politicised, they make everything political,” the source told Minivan News today.

“Because someone whom they do not support – someone whom they hate – had openly claimed that Maldives is faced with this problem with violent extremism, people don’t like it.”

Sheikh Shameem told officers they should always possess the will to be martyred when defending the people and the nation. He also recently prayed for the acceptance of the martyrdom of Maldivians killed in Syria.

Shameem first came to public attention following his ‘mega-lecture’ ‘Andalus‘ last year, which was interrupted by authorities for violating state broadcaster’s guideline.

Last month, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) suggested that extremist ideologies were prevalent within the security services – accusations described as “baseless and untrue” by the MNDF.

The MDP also condemned Shameem’s ‘Andalus’ lecture last year, accusing him of inciting hatred in order to sway the electorate.

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Police launch special operation in response to spike in theft and robbery

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) launched a special operation in the capital Malé last night in response to a spike in cases of theft and robbery in recent weeks.

At a press conference this morning, Chief Superintendent Ali Shujau explained that the number of cases reported in the past two weeks had risen sharply compared to the previous five months.

Shujau, head of the central operations command, said that burglars had taken advantage of police officers being engaged in providing security during the recently concluded AFC Challenge Cup hosted by the Maldives.

Large amounts of cash and expensive items have been stolen from apartments in the capital, he added.

Police also expected a spike in theft and robbery during the upcoming World Cup and the fasting month of Ramadan, Shujau noted, advising the public to take precautionary measures.

Police officers will conduct targeted searches of areas in Malé and search vehicles as well as suspicious individuals after midnight as part of the special operation.

Vehicle checkpoints will be set up across the capital. As apartments on the first and second floors of large buildings were being targeted, police patrols will focus on preventing theft from such residences.

The special operation is being conducted jointly by the central operations command, investigation departments, forensic directorate, traffic police, and the Specialist Operations (SO) command.

The MPS has also advised the public to hide valuables such as phones, jewellery, and wristwatches and to properly lock doors at night. Businesses were advised against keeping large amounts of cash in shops or offices.

According to statistics from the MPS, 2,484 cases of theft and 291 cases of robbery have been reported so far this year.

A 46 percent spike in cases of theft was recorded in January this year compared to the same period in 2013.

Reported instances of theft had increased dramatically in 2012 compared to the previous year. While 4,734 cases of theft were reported in 2011, the number rose to 6,572 in 2012, which represented a 38 percent annual increase.

The figure climbed to 6,681 in 2013.

Robbery and theft currently account for roughly 50 percent of crimes reported to police.

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Supreme Court upholds reinstatement of police inspector dismissed after rape allegations

The Supreme Court has today upheld the High Court ruling to reinstate Chief Inspector Hussain Risheef Thoha who had been dismissed after being accused of raping a woman inside a police car.

The ruling stated that, although the victim had alleged that a group of police officers attacked her, she did not state that Risheef participated in the rape.

Commenting on today’s ruling today, Maldivian Democratic Party MP and lawyer Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy expressed concern the court would ask for the reinstatement of an officer after its disciplinary board had decided that there was enough evidence to link him with a rape case.

”These are not just ordinary citizens, these are senior police officers accused of a serious crime,” Inthi said. ”This is very dangerous and serious.”

Risheef had called the officers who were inside the car, said the Supreme Court today, stating that this did not prove he had participated in the attack.

The ruling noted that there was no record of a phone call in which Risheed instructed officers to rape the victim.

The court ruling stated that Risheed had gone to the area where the girl had been left after the incident, and had given her a t-shirt to cover herself up.

Again, this does not prove that Risheef had participated in the act, said the court, noting that helping a person in that situation to cover up is how it should be done in Islamic principles.

The court also criticised the police disciplinary board for taking action against Risheef based on the allegations, saying that this was against Islamic principles and international best practice.

The case

In August 2011, a woman filed a case at police headquarters alleging she was sexually abused by a group of police officers, including Risheef.

Thoha later appealed his dismissal by the police disciplinary board at the Civil Court, which ruled that the decision had been lawful and that there was enough evidence to dismiss Risheef from duty.

The Civil Court noted at the time that Risheef’s call records showed he had contacted the other accused officers several times, and in turn had been contacted by them.

The ruling also said that the girl was thrown out of the car naked near the chief inspector’s house in Maafannu, and that Thoha had admitted to being in the area a few minutes later.

In August 2012, the High Court overruled the decision made by the Civil Court and ordered that police reinstate Risheef at the rank of chief inspector.

In September 2012, the High Court upheld a Civil Court ruling to reinstate Police Lance Corporal Ali Nasheed to active duty, who had been dismissed in relation to the same incident.

Recently, police said that they would only accept dismissed officers in a situation where the Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of their position in the police.

Lawyer Inthi said that such issues makes the people lose confidence with the police force.

”This shows that issues like this are not taken seriously,” he said. ”The disciplinary board is a board that has the authority to dismiss police officers if they find that there was enough evidence to believe that a police officer is guilty of a crime.”

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Maldivians shouldn’t fight foreign wars in name of Islam, says Islamic minister

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has stated that, while the ministry is not aware of Maldivians taking part in Syria’s civil war, he does not believe it is right for locals to join foreign conflicts.

“This ministry is not aware of any Maldivians fighting in the Syrian war, nor is it a matter that concerns us. However, I personally do not believe it is right for any Maldivian youth to join another country’s war in the name of Islam,” he said.

The Islamic leader’s comments follow this week’s reports that two Maldivians had died while fighting forces loyal to Bashar Al Assad in Syria.

One government-aligned MP as well as a former senior police officer have today branded the authorities’ response insufficient and “irresponsible”.

“It does not do to just say that they are unaware of the problem,” said Jumhooree Party (JP) MP Ahmed Sameer.

While Vice President of the Fiqh Academy Sheikh Iyaz Abdul Latheef told Minivan News that the academy has no official view on the matter of jihad, Iyaz himself has blogged about the matter in his personal capacity.

Writing on ‘MV Islam Q&A’, Iyaz said it was unacceptable ‘jihad’ to fight in a war without seeking prior permission from the leader of the nation and from one’s parents. He also said that another arising from such ‘jihad’ is the unforgivable error of killing another muslim.

“Nothing the government can do”

President Abdulla Yameen has meanwhile claimed that the government is unaware of Maldivians fighting in the Syrian civil war. If they were, he added, then it is not being done with the government’s consent.

“We will not stay on the borderline after sending any Maldivians to war. So it is an extremely sorrowful incident that some from a family of Maldivians travelled to Syria, got involved in a dangerous encounter, and was killed in the process,” he told press upon his return from India yesterday (May 27).

Yameen said that the government had always urged Maldivians to maintain discipline when living abroad, adding that the responsibility for any crime willfully committed by an individual must be borne by the individual himself.

“If any Maldivian – regardless of where they are, or for what reason, even if not for war – notifies us that they are unable to come back to the Maldives, the government will offer any possible financial assistance to them. However, there is no way we can bring back anyone forcefully against their will,” said the president.

Police confirmed today that they are currently investigating the reports of the first Maldivian – said to have died in a suicide attack -while information was being gathered regarding the second individual.

An official said that, while mainstream media has reported an additional 20 Maldivians as having travelled to Syria, police had not received official information about the matter.

Maldives National Defence Force Spokesperson Major Hussain Ali confirmed that they too are investigating the matter, while Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim was unable to comment on the matter at the time of press.

“Irresponsible government response”

A former senior police officer – speaking on condition of anonymity – described  the government’s response as “highly irresponsible”, calling for immediate preventive measures.

“It has previously been alleged that there are terror cells here, and that the Maldives is also somehow involved in financing terrorism activities,” he said.

“In fact, the government must have been aware of this way before it was discussed in mainstream media. In light of these events, it is a likely danger – and a far more serious threat – that such actions may start operating here on our own land.”

Preventive measures must be taken now, and counter policies drafted, said the former officer, who went on to suggest that an excessive focus on domestic politics would be taken advantage of by extremists.

JP MP Sameer has also lent his voice to the debate today, stating that the government must have clearer policies on how to deal with such matters, and that he has heard of the government intervening to stop such actions in the past.

“Today, we have an Islamic Ministry and a Fiqh Academy – both institutions are state authorities on religion. If this act of joining the Syrian war is against Islamic norms and local policies as defined by these institutions, then I believe the government must take action against it,” he said.

“If, however, what they are doing is not against Islam or local policies, then the government should by all means facilitate them. What I am saying is that the government’s stand on the matter is unclear,” Sameer stated.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party previously released a statement on May 16 alleging that there was a prevalence of extremist ideologies within the Maldivian security forces.

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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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