Tag: Shiyam

Gamaadhoo human bones are 800 years old, claims Umar Naseer

The former deputy leader of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has claimed that results of examinations made on human bones discovered inside Gamadhoo Prison show they “are over 800 years old.”

”Those bones were first taken to Thailand for investigation and [investigators] said they were over 800 years old,” said Naseer. ”Later the government sent the bones to America, where they also said the same.”

Umar said the investigation into the identity of the bones was now closed, ”but the government will never say that because they want to use it for political purposes.”

”This news is confirmed to be true, we have allies inside police as well as in Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF),” said Naseer, himself a former policeman.

He said the police and government “cannot deny this and if they did, they should show the report on the examinations.”

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam today said that police had been still unable to determine the age of the human bones found inside Gamadhoo Prison.

”We did send it abroad for forensic investigations,” Shiyam said. ”So far we have not been able to determine the age of those bones.”

He said that investigation was still ongoing and that details of the case that police were able to share had already been given to the media.

On September 2009, inmates in ”Asseyri jail” discovered human bones buried two feet underground while they were digging the area to plant trees.

The same year, the President’s Office asked police to investigate the discovery and samples of the 14 bone fragments were sent to Thailand for DNA analysis.

In October last year, President Mohamed Nasheed said Human bones discovered in the site of the former Gaamaadhoo prison matched the age and estimated period of death of Abdulla Anees, Vaavu Keyodhoo Bashigasdhosuge, an inmate officially declared missing in the 1980s.

Nasheed that time said that forensic examination has identified the age of the deceased, while a former prison guard, Mohamed Naeem, of Gaaf Dhaal Hoadhendhoo Muraka, has told the police investigation that Anees died in Gaamaadhoo prison.

President Nasheed spent three years in Gaamaadhoo prison for dissident journalism in opposition to the rule of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

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Police confiscate weapons, arrest 59 suspected gang members

Police arrested 59 men and confiscated an assortment of weaponry, in a special operation yesterday to try and cut down on gang violence following gang-related six stabbings and a murder over the weekend.

A statement issued by police said that the 59 men were arrested “for the collection of information”, and noted that 15 were under the age of 18.

Police investigated two guest houses suspected of being used by the gangs, and discovered narcotics, weapons and items such as gloves and masks inside.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that out of the arrested 59, 11 were released after questioning.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives yesterday issued a statement expressing concern over the rise in gang violence and called upon all the concerned authorities to take necessary measurements to curb the violence.

Last Thursday Maldives Customs officers discovered five 3-foot long swords inside a container unloaded from a cargo ship.

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Airport traffic controller in suspected suicide

An air traffic controller at Male’ International Airport was found dead at 4:00am this morning after apparently hanging himself from the control tower.

The man, identified by newspaper Haveeru as 26 year-old Ismail Mohamed Didi, was discovered after airport workers received no response from the tower’s phone.

The case was reported to police around 5:00am. Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the body was found hanging from the tower but said it was too early to confirm whether the death was a suicide.

“His body was first taken to Hulhumale’ hospital and now he is in Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH),” he said. “We are investigating the case.”

Spokesperson for the Maldives Airports Company (MACL) Rahmathulla Ashraf told Haveeru that the company could only comment once the police investigation was concluded.

“We are also waiting for the findings of the investigation,” he said.

Rahmathulla claimed the incident did not disrupt the operations of the control tower.

A source familiar with the victim said Didi was a junior air traffic controller who performed his job well.

The source said Didi had been an air traffic controller for 6-7 years and had recently worked at Kaadedhoo airport in Huvadhu atoll.

“He went up the control tower around 3:00am, a quiet time when there is no air traffic,” said the source.

“People at the airport received no response from the tower, so they went up to check and found him hanging there.”

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Police arrest deputy speaker after 12 hour siege

Police today arrested Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and People’s Alliance (PA) MP Ahmed Nazim, after laying sieging to his house for half a day.

According to the warrant issued by the court this afternoon, police are seeking to question Nazim on matters concerning bribery, attempting to influence and threaten independent commissions, and attempting to physically harm political figures.

Police waited outside Nazim’s house from 11:00pm last night in an attempt to take him into questioning, but he remained inside. After several attempts by police to obtain a warrant, the court this afternoon issued a warrant for police to enter Nazim’s house without his permission.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that Nazim was taken to Dhoonidhoo police custodial.

A police spokesman said that police have been trying to summon Nazim for days regarding the investigation of a case reported to police.

”We last night informed the Speaker of the Parliament (Abdulla Shahid) that police needed to summon Nazim and had tried to take him [in for questioning], but Nazim did not co-operate with the police,” he said. ”He is now under police observation.”

He said that Nazim was “not arrested but summoned”.

Police recently arrested People’s Alliance (PA) leader Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim ‘Buruma’ Ibrahim on charges of bribery and treason, after the case was reported to police by the President’s Office.

Days afterwards, several recordings believed to be of MPs discussing the sale of political influence and obstruction of bills were leaked to the media.

”The leaked audio clips were edited versions of the real clips,” claimed DRP MP Ahmed Nihan. ”They edited it in a way that they can achieve what they wanted.”

Local media have claimed that one of the voices in the leaked audio clips was Nazim’s.

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan however condemned the arrest of the PA MP.

”This is what the government does to threaten the opposition,” said Nihan. ”He threatens the opposition leaders and MPs physically and mentally.”

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Mahlouf said he ”always knew that dictator’s Nasheed’s actions would be like this.”

”Right after the peace talks [mediated by US Ambassador Patricia Butenis and more recently, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa] concluded, police went to arrest Nazim,” said Mahlouf. ”President Nasheed tries to solve problems by creating them.”

Mahlouf said that arresting Nazim “was like arresting the Vice President.”

”President Nasheed is very dangerous. I would do not think he would be afraid to shoot people either,” Mahlouf added.

Nihan claimed the government was now expecting opposition parties to hold demonstrations that would deteriorate the situation of the country further, in order to charge more opposition leaders and MPs.

”President Nasheed will be behind everything,” Nihan said. ”MDP is a party that never respects their words and their pledges.”

He said that the ‘new’ cabinet reinstated yesterday was unlawful and that the parliament would not approve some of the ministers.

Yesterday the President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair claimed the wording of the constitution was such that parliament was only required to assent to a cabinet as a whole, and was not required to endorse individual ministers.

In a joint press statement this morning, the Nasheed and Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa said the government and the opposition had agreed to constitute a six member Majlis committee “to carry forward a dialogue addressing such pressing issues as the appointment of the cabinet of ministers and the smooth functioning of the legislative process.”

Nazim chairs the parliamentary finance committee, which was at loggerheads with the Ministry of Finance over additions parliament made to the budget, such as the restoration of civil servant salaries.

Nazim also put forward a motion to dismiss former Auditor General Ibrahim Naeem, after he was accused of corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for using the government’s money to buy a tie and visit Thulhaidhu in Baa Atoll.

Naeem claimed the charges were an attempt to discredit his office and prevent him from reclaiming the government’s money stored in overseas bank accounts.

“A lot of the government’s money was taken through corrupt [means] and saved in the banks of England, Switzerland, Singapore and Malaysia,” Naeem had claimed two weeks prior, announcing a financial audit of all current and former ministers.

Nazim the previous week had pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the former ministry of atolls development while he was Managing Director of Namira Engineering and Trading Pvt Ltd.

Both Nazim and Speaker of the Parliament DRP MP Abdulla Shahid did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Father arrested for abusing 16 year old daughter

A 40 year-old man suspected of sexually abusing his 16 year old daughter in North Ari Atoll has been arrested, confirmed Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam.

Shiyam said the case was ongoing and declined to provide further information.

However, a woman familiar with the matter claimed that the man has been abusing his daughter since she was nine years old.

”She was told by her dad that it was something daughters should do with Dads and she should not tell anybody,” the woman claimed. ”Nobody was aware that this was happening,”

The man had denied the claims, the woman noted.

”When his wife [suspected the abuse] and asked him if it was happening, the man shouted at her rudely,” the woman said. ”But now he has admitted to police that he has been doing it for a long time.”

She said the abuse was reported to the police by the girl’s boyfriend, after she received a call from her father and put it on conference mode.

”Her boyfriend was listening to the call when her Dad asked his daughter whether she finished menstruating and to come to him when she was done,” she said. ”Her boyfriend then informed the police.”

Last week a 53-year-old man suspected of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl in Addu Atoll Hithadhoo was arrested.

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Children kept in Feydhufinolhu centre indefinitely, confirm police

The Maldives Police Service have confirmed they have taken kids from the streets whom they suspect could become involved in crimes, and placed them in a Correctional Training Centre on Feydhufinolhu for an indefinite duration, without a court order.

The children taken to the centre, who are under the age of 18, are kept “until we can guarantee that they are fully ready to be released into society,” said Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam.

”They are kids who are on the streets, and do not attend school,” Shiyam said. ”We only take the children after informing their parents and after they have agreed.”

Many children taken to the centre “are illiterate and do not even know how to pray,” he said, explaining that they were taught subjects like Islam, handicrafts and computing.

”We have 18 children in the centre,” he said. ”We have not released any kid since [it opened in] August.”

”At first some parents were not satisfied,” Shiyam said, ”but later they realised that their children’s behaviour was improving, and now they are happy.”

He said that the date the kids would be handed back to their parents was yet to be decided.

However, a 16 year old boy who was kept in the centre for over two months told Minivan News on condition of anonymity that many kids had been released from the centre, ”hurting the morale of the kids left behind.”

He said parents were told that the kids were being taken to the centre for a special programme and would be released after six months.

”But one day the Commissioner of Police came and said that they had made the duration for 3 months,” he said. ”All the kids were very happy and were hoping to meet their families and loved ones soon.”

He said it had now been more than seven months: ”They released some of them, and kept the rest,” he said. ”There are kids there taken from Fuvamulah, Addu and Male’.”

He said that he was taken while sitting in front of his house.

”Police suspected that I was involved in a stabbing case and took me away,” he said. ”Everyone there is so young and so isolated and stressed – on September 5 a kid there even attempted suicide because he missed his Mum and Dad. Everyone feels like they have been banished.”

He claimed that the police only gave the children a five minute phone call to speak with their families, and that many parents confused about what was going on and when their children would be released.

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Police summon second DRP deputy leader for questioning

Police have summoned the Dhivehi Rayyihtunge Party’s (DRP) deputy leader MP Ali Waheed for questioning about his involvement in the protest outside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base and president’s residence on 28 January.

Umar Naseer, another deputy leader of the DRP, was summoned for questioning yesterday about his involvement in the protest.

Waheed notified the media he had been summoned shortly before 3pm, and said he would “face the press” afterwards.

He said he had remained silent during questions about his involvement, and about the comments he made to the media about police cooperating with the protesters.

When the police asked him whether he would like to investigate the incident in which he was hit by a stone during the protest, he replied ”no”.

After the questioning concluded Waheed said he had reported three cases to the police and asked them to investigate.

”The first thing I reported was that during the protest a person from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) – ranked higher than sergeant – used abusive language [against the protesters],” he said.

”Secondly, why that night when MPs asked for police protection were they ignored?”

Thirdly, Waheed said he asked police to investigate an MDP MP who allegedly demanded police stop handcuffing a protester outside parliament during a protest over the decentralisation bill.

Waheed added that it was “really dangerous” for armed police to use abusive language and “threaten people.” He did not mention what was said.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the government did not believe that the MNDF used abusive language while controlling the protest.

”That was really a dangerous protest by DRP,” he added.

He said it was all right for Waheed to remain silent, but said that ”the police begin such a questioning session of an investigation only after they have collected evidence and proof.”

”As the police is investigating the case we better not comment,” he added.

Spokesperson for Maldivian Democratic Part MDP Ahmed Haleem said also did not believe the MNDF had used abusive language, and furthermore claimed that when MPs asked for police protection the police provided it.

”I was watching the protest very closely,” he said.

Sub Inspector of police Ahmed Shiyam said police were not commenting on whether they would investigate the three cases reported by Ali Waheed.

In a statement police issued on 2 February police said they would launch an investigation of the demonstration outside MDNF and the president’s residence.

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Umar Naseer questioned by police over MNDF “gate shaking”

Vice president of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Umar Naseer was yesterday summoned to police headquarters for questioning about his involvement in the protest outside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base and president’s residence on 28 January.

Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said Naseer was summoned at 3pm ”for questioning regarding his shaking of MNDF’s gate.”

He said the police were currently investigating the case and ”can’t give out more details”.

MNDF Major Ibrahim Afsal also said he could not comment on the issue because police were investigating the case.

However, Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair claimed Umar Naseer’s shaking of the gates showed he was illegally trying to enter president’s official residence and the MNDF base.

”It was not a peaceful protest,” Zuhair said, saying Naseer’s actions appeared on CCTV footage of the incident.

”The police are now investigating the case, so we better not say anything yet,” he said.

Naseer acknowledged he was taken to the police yesterday.

He said the police questioned him whether he shook the gates of MNDF and president’s residence, and ”I said I did, and I still do.”

Naseer said he shook the gates of MNDF to “enter there and make the MNDF take part in our protest.”

“Their main reason for [summoning] me was to shut down the opposition demonstration,” he said. ”That night we did not commit any crimes.”

Spokesman for DRP and also the party’s Vice President Ibrahim Shareef said the government had now started arresting protesters.

”They said protesting was fine before they came to administration,” Shareef said, ”and now that they have got the administration they have started arresting protesters.”

Shareef claimed he remembers a time when president Mohamed Nasheed used to come out for protests and shake the gate of former president’s residence Theemuge.

”The police should investigate that case as well,” he said.

Spokesman for the Maldivian Democrartic Party (MDP) Ahmed Haleem said the party would not comment.

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Attackers burn sleeping woman with electric wires

A sleeping woman was badly burned after a group of men broke into her house at night and tied live wires to her feet.

Police said the group entered her house in Laamu atoll on Wednesday night and tied the wires to her toes, then connected it with mains electricity.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the 35 year old woman suffered cuts and burns to her legs.

”They used electric wires and live electricity to create the shock,” he said.

Person in-charge of Laamu Gan Regional Hospital, Ali Faisal, said the shock had badly burned the toes on the woman’s left foot. He added that she had now been discharged.

Haveeru reported that the woman was still unable to walk.

Police are investigating the case but no arrests have been made so far.

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