Tag: theft

Two arrested for stealing laptop and cash

A 21 and 24 year-old have been arrested by the Maldivian Police Service (MPS) on suspicion of stealing a laptop and cash, Sun Online reports.

A laptop and MVR 100 000 were burgled from a house on Kunahandhoo in Laamu atoll on Friday afternoon.

The suspects were arrested during the subsequent manhunt.

Both were arrested on Laamu Kunahandhoo

Maldives Police Service has arrested two individuals on suspicion of stealing a laptop and a large amount of cash from a house in Laamu Kunahandhoo yesterday afternoon.

Police revealed one individual as a 21-year-old and the other a 24-year-old, and said both have records of theft and robbery.

The two people were arrested during a manhunt for suspects. They are suspected of stealing a total of MVR 100,000 in cash, in addition to the laptop.

The 21 year old individual was arrested today and the 24 year old early this morning, police said. Both men were arrested under court warrants in Laamu Kunahandhoo.

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Two arrested with stolen items from the island of Mulak in Meemu Atoll

Police have arrested two persons with stolen items from the island of Mulak in Meemu Atoll.

According to police, the case was reported on the morning of October 31.

Police said officers searched the house the suspects were living in after obtaining a search warrant from the court, discovering stolen money, gold and 11 bullet sized rubber packets containing illegal drugs.

The two arrested were taken to the magistrate court in Mulee Island to decide on their detention period and the court have granted police a 15-day period to keep them in pre-trial detention.

Mulak police station is further investigating the case.

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Four minors arrested with stolen items in Gemanafushi Island

Four minors have been arrested on the island of Gemanafushi in Gaafu Alifu Atoll with stolen items.

Police said that the stolen items were found inside one of the minor’s house.

According to police, they allegedly stole a sound system, CD player, one diving torch, as well as the batteries, charger and bulbs for the torch.

Police said the four minors were aged  between 15 and 16.

Gemanafushi police station is investigating the case.

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Increase in burglaries prompts police warning

Police have issued a notice of warning to all residents of Male’ to secure their houses and property when leaving to islands for Eid holidays.

33 cases of burglaries have been reported in the past 48 hours.

The normally crowded streets of Male’ are becoming less crowded as people have started going back to their islands for the upcoming Eid Al Adha as well as the presidential election, scheduled for this coming Saturday (October 19).

In the statement issued by police station Inspector Ismail Ali, he said the police are doing extra work to patrol the streets of Male’ and trying to determine suspicious activities through intelligence reports in order to stop burglaries before they occur.

”Police are doing nonstop work to attend the crime scenes as soon as possible and to find the culprits and investigate the case,” the police said. ”However, theft is an organized crime and it is very important that police receive full cooperation from the people.”

”We also note that police have been receiving cooperation from the people in this type of cases,” the police notice added.

According to police, in the cases police received over the past 48 hours there were cases concerning large amounts of money, valuable properties and mobile phones.

Police said they had noticed that in most cases the thieves were able to steal valuable properties left in the sitting room or more visible areas, and in some cases they are able to get inside after the homeowners forget to lock the doors.

”These type of cases can be prevented if people are more cautious and use preventive methods such as not leaving valuable properties visible when sleeping.

Furthermore, the police urged people to hide money, jewelries and mobile phones in a safe place and reminded shops and offices not to store money inside their premises.

The police also reminded shop owners, offices and homeowners to make sure they lock their places before leaving for anywhere.

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Police call for public vigilance over allegations of criminals posing as officers

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has alleged that criminals have been posing as police officers in Addu City for the last two weeks in order to commit robberies.

In light of the allegations, authorities are warning members of the public to request the ID of any officer approaching them for questioning or to conduct a search.

However, Addu City Council today alleged that it had not been informed of any cases where thieves were posing as police in the municipality, but had received multiple complaints of plain clothes officers searching people and private property without a warrant or ID.

A police media official confirmed that investigations were presently under way in Addu City into several separate incidents where individuals claiming to be officers searched members of the public in the street or at their homes before robbing them of valuables.

Police are working to identify those who are posing as police in order to commit robberies, though no arrests have been made so far, the official continued.

However, police claim that no complaints have been lodged regarding reports of officers refusing to show their identification when requested by the public in Addu City.

In an official statement published yesterday (June 15), police reiterated that all genuine officers – even those on duty in plain clothes – are required to carry their police identification. The public was therefore encouraged to ask officers to see such documentation when they were being searched or questioned.

The robberies were suspected of having been committed as part of attempts to defame the reputation of the police in Addu as officers continue with an operation designed to curb crime in the city, the statement added.

As part of this operation, a task force consisting of 50 Special Operations (SO) police arrived in the atoll on January 17, 2013 and were supposed to remain only until April 17 this year, Addu City Council has previously claimed. However, these SO force have remained in Addu City, targeting those allegedly involved in drug and gang issues.

Council’s uncertainty claims

Addressing the police warning today, Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodig said he had not been contacted by authorities or received complaints of criminals disguising themselves as police officers to steal from the public.

However, Sodig said that with his office receiving complaints about officers allegedly forcing their way into homes to conduct searches without uniforms, warrants or identification, it was increasingly difficult for the public to verify real police in the city.

“We never get complaints about thieves breaking into properties disguised in police uniform,” he alleged. “We have received complaints that the SO perform searches of people and property without their ID or uniform. Also, people have been beaten, threatened, abused, abducted and locked up without relatives being informed.”

Sodig argued that on the back of allegations that certain police officers were conducting their duties without wearing uniforms or providing their ID, local thieves had found themselves able to exploit public uncertainty to perform robberies.

“Some people have issued complaints with us and the PIC. These are not fake police officers, they are genuine officers who are refusing to show their ID and stopping anyone on the street they like,” he claimed. “They are going out without their uniforms on to conduct searches. People here know they are ‘star force’ [SO] Police.”

The ‘star force’ was a name previously given to the police SO unit during the latter stages of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s 30 years as head of state.

Sodig claimed that in the past, the city council had been informed by police of any special criminal operations being conducted by officers. However, he claimed Addu City Council had presently received no information concerning the allegations of fraudulent officers operating in Addu.

“Police do not concentrate on thieves or drug users, rather they focus on political party members and activists,” he alleged.

Minivan News was awaiting a response from the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) at time of press.

Arrest allegations

Last month, Mayor Sodig claimed 50 people were arrested in advance of a visit by President Dr Mohamed Waheed to Addu City, alleging that “90 percent of those taken in were MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party) supporters”.

Police however denied making the arrests.

As part of an ongoing police operation in Addu to “keep the peace”, “lots of people were taken into custody and were released after their information was collected”, a police media official who spoke with Minivan News initially stated.

The same official later refuted the statement, claiming that only one person was arrested in Addu City on May 7.

Addu City Council had said it had previously requested police “provide extra strength to increase numbers to about 30 per station.”

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Amputation for theft added to draft penal code

The draft penal code bill has been amended to include punishments as prescribed in the Quran, such as amputation for theft.

The new article added during a parliamentary committee meeting Thursday (March 28) states that if someone convicted of a crime requires legal punishment, as specified in the penal code, that person will face punishment as stated in the Quran.

MP Imthiyaz Fahmy clarified the amendment to the draft penal code is about hadd punishments only and “not at all” about all Sharia offences, speaking with Minivan News today.

“Hadd offenses are already crimes in the draft penal code. However the prescribed punishments in Sharia for those particular crimes are not codified in the draft penal code, but instead they are left up to the interpretation of Sharia,” stated Fahmy.

“But to completely evade making a reference to hadd punishments or to mention that no hadd punishment at all should be imposed is impossible to the the fact that Sharia shall be one of the basis of all the laws of the Maldives,” he added.

Criminal punishments are detailed for murder, fornication, thievery and drinking alcohol.

The committee’s chairperson, MP Ahmed Hamza, told Sun Online the new draft penal code will require amputating persons convicted of theft, while a person convicted of apostasy (renouncing Islam) will also face punishment.

The bill does not include apostasy as a crime, therefore someone found guilty of this offense cannot be subjected to Quranic punishment, committee member MP Ahmed Mohamed clarified.

Gambling is also not criminalised, according to committee member MP Abdul Azeez Jamaal Aboobakuru. He told local media that the bill does not “state a manner in which such crimes can be convicted”.

Fahmy explained that Sharia law does not prescribe a hadd punishment for gambling.

The penal code draft bill does include factors that must be considered before convicting a person of murder; for example, any contradictory evidence would prevent such a conviction.

Imposing the death penalty cannot be subject only to the confession of the accused.

“Sharia does not run headlong into death penalties, amputation or stoning to death. Therefore depending on the circumstances, Sharia may avoid capital punishments,” said Fahmy.

He further clarified that Sharia punishments may be interpreted according to any of the schools of Sunni Muslims.

While interpretation of Sharia law punishments are within the purview of Maldivian judges, Fahmy believes that the current judicial system is incapable of providing Maldivian people justice, even with the new penal code.

“I do not believe the judiciary and the criminal justice system in the Maldives is capable of doing justice or able to take care of the new penal code. The judiciary is unable to ‘keep up with the Jonses’,” Fahmy stated.

The parliamentary committee’s additions to the bill follow its rejection of all but one amendment suggested by the Fiqh Academy of the Maldives.

Speaking to local media on Monday (March 25), Hamza said the committee had decided to accept only a suggestion concerning the offence of theft. Other amendments, he said, were merely changes to the wordings of the bill and carried little legal weight.

“They have submitted amendments to abolish certain sections. These include certain legal defences. When we looked into removing those defences, we found this impacted fundamental principles embedded to the draft penal code. So we decided to reject their suggestions,” he stated.

Following the decision, Vice President of the Fiqh Academy Sheikh Iyas Abdul Latheef told local newspaper Haveeru that the academy had informed parliament that current draft penal code should not be enforced in the country.

“The current draft does not include the Hadds established under Islamic Sharia. There is no mention of the death penalty for murder, the punishment of stoning for fornication, the punishment of amputation for theft and the punishment for apostasy. We proposed amendments to include these punishments,” Latheef stated.

Comments submitted by the United Nation agencies in the Maldives, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), and Attorney General are being considered and incorporated into the draft text.

The initial draft of the penal code was prepared by legal expert Professor Paul H Robinson and the University of Pennsylvania Law School of the United States, upon the request of the Attorney General in January, 2006. The project was supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Professor Robinson’s team have published two volumes (Volume 1 and Volume 2) consisting of commentaries on sections of the draft bill.

The bill was first sent to the Majlis (parliament) in 2006 and will replace the 1961 penal code.

The penal code bill is being forwarded to the parliament floor this upcoming week, according to local media.

False preaching regarding rape and fornication

The parliamentary committee slammed the “false preaching” of the Chair of Adhaalath Party’s Scholars Council Sheikh Ilyas Hussain over the bill earlier this week.

Sheikh Ilyas declared that the new penal code does not recognise fornication with mutual consent as an offence.

MP Nazim Rashaad contended that whether sheikh or not, nobody could misinterpret the clause and claim that the bill did not recognise “mutually consented sexual intercourse” as an offence, and accused the Sheikh of lying to discredit the bill and parliament.

Briefing committee members on the sections concerning sexual offenses, Rashaad stated that under the draft penal code, both fornication and rape are offences under section 411 of the draft bill.

The existing penal code does not explicitly recognise “rape” as a crime, and cases are handled under provisions for sexual offences.

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Maldivian former college dean found guilty of theft in Dublin, Ireland

A Maldivian man who worked as a college dean at the  American College in Dublin, Ireland has been fined €3,000 (MVR 60,676) for using his work credit card to pay for personal expenses.

36-year-old Ali Shimaz pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 11 counts of theft totalling €5,622 (MVR 113,707) from the American College on dates between June and September 2009.

The Independent reported that Shimaz had used the work credit card to pay for flights for himself, his wife and a woman he was having an affair with for over a period of several months.

Judge Mary Ellen Ring, who presided over the case, was reported as saying “the thefts were not sophisticated and there was a clear paper trail of emails and credit card statements showing what Shimaz was up to”.

Judge Ring said she did not think society would be best served by imprisoning him and instead imposed a €3,000 (MVR 60,676) fine on him.

The thefts came to light after Shimaz, who is originally from the Maldives but currently living in Dublin, resigned from his post of Dean at the American College, where he was responsible for the recruitment of foreign students.

The Independent reported that Shimaz had originally been a student at the college, eventually becoming an employee and rising to the position of Dean.

Within this role, Shimaz travelled across the world to conferences and fairs and had been issued with a college credit card exclusively for work use.

Suspicions were aroused in October 2009 when Shimaz failed to submit requested receipts, and a subsequent investigation into his email accounts showed flight confirmations for reservations not connected with college business.

In October 2009 Shimaz met with the vice-president of the college and another Dean before agreeing to resign and repay the money he had taken. However, the money was not paid until last month when he pleaded guilty to these offences.

James McCullough BL, defending, told how Shimaz had been educated to secondary level in the Maldives and then studied from 2000 to 2004 at American College.

The Independent reported that Shimaz has since repaid the money to American College, and that he has no previous convictions.

According to the paper, Shimaz’s defence attorney James McCullough said it took Shimaz a while to accept he was in breach of criminal law, “but he has now come to that realisation and was aware of the perilous situation he is now in.”

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Man sentenced to two year’s banishment for stealing RAM from mother’s computer

The Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced a man to two years banishment for stealing two pieces of RAM from his mother’s computer.

According to the Criminal Court, Ahmed Arushad, of Male’ municipality special register 5269, confessed to stealing the memory chips from his mother Waleedha Abdulla’s computer at Henveiru Madhoshimaage on January 7, 2012.

The court noted that this was Arushad’s second conviction and banished him under article 131(a) of the penal code.

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Police release CCTV footage of men robbing Randheli resort office

Police are looking for three men who were caught on video footage obtained through the security camera of Randheli Resort’s main office in Male’, after it was robbed of more than MVR 100,000 (US$6500).

According to police, the robbery took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. The thieves took MVR 80,000 (US$5194) and US$3000.

Police have released the video footage of the robbery and appealed to the public to share any information they have regarding the case or persons involved in it.

The video footage obtained by police show three men sneaking from one room to another and roaming around inside the office looking for something.

All three were covering their faces and were wearing gloves. The video shows one man was carrying an object resembling an iron bar.

The video shows the man break breaching a room inside the office using a metal tool and coming out with a bag. Soon after they leave the office.

The face of one of the three men is seen at the beginning of the video footage.

Polices Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef did not respond to calls from Minivan News today.

In a statement police have requested the public to contact 332 2111 or police Serious and Organised Crime Department (991 1099) if anyone has information that might help the police investigation.

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