Crime update: Child abuse and drug kingpin

Crime rate in Maldives has increased rapidly within the last couple of years. Espcially number of paedophile caught and convicted has reached a shocking number. Here is a report on Minivan News by Ahmed Naish [20th Oct 2009]

Banishment

Hassan Ibrahim

Police arrested two paedophiles earlier this month, according to Inspector Mirfath Faiz, head of the police family and child protection unit.

In the first case, Hassan Ibrahim, 39, of Haa Dhaal Neykurendhoo Nuvil, was arrested on 4 October in Meemu atoll Mulaku on suspicion of sexually abusing two under-age girls.

Ibrahim was banished to the island after being convicted of child abuse and was close to serving his sentence, Mirfath said.

“We are looking to find if there are more victims on the island,” she said.

Prior to November 2007, she added, convicts were banished to islands, a sentence that is no longer enforced.

“I want to call on parents very strongly that it is likely that your children could become prey to these people,” she said.

Ahmed Hassan

Mirfath said paedophiles who had served their sentences did not receive rehabilitation or counselling. “They still have these urges or tendencies and it is a disease that they have,” she said.

On 11 October, police arrested Ahmed Hassan, 31, of Manadhoo Shabnam, on suspicion of sexually abusing six under-age boys on the island.

Police have also learned of other possible victims and were continuing their investigation, said Mirfath.

“Our message to the public is that people often think that is just girls who are abused, but in a lot of cases young boys become victims too,” she said.

The offender was not related to any of the victims.

“Some parents hit their children when they tell them of such things and they just shut down,” she said, adding that parents should listen patiently to their children as they were unlikely to make up such stories.

Fuahmulah drug kingpin

Police arrested the top drug dealer in Fuahmulah on 17 October in a special joint operation with the Fuahmulah police station.

Inspector Mohamed Jinah, head of the police drug enforcement unit, said the suspect, Ahmed Rasheed, 30, of Fuahmulah Dhiguvaagadu, was taken into custody “red-handed” with 10 bullet-sized packets of heroin.

Ahmed Rasheed

Two days later, he added, police found his drug stock buried in an open area in front of his house. Police discovered 16 bullets of heroin and two packets of hash oil.

Jinah said the operation was very successful and thanked the islanders for their cooperation and assistance.

“The people of Fuahmulah are very happy because he controls about 70 per cent of the distribution of drugs in the atoll,” he said.

Police have identified Rasheed’s accomplices but will only make the arrests once they have gathered sufficient evidence to prove the charges at court.

Last month, police arrested another suspect drug dealer from Fuahmulah. Jinah said the two operated “separate networks” and had no connection to each other.

Drug dealers in the islands buy their supplies from the capital Male’, he continued, and police had intelligence on the top dealers.

“We know very clearly who they are,” he said.