Police debunk false report of ex-pres. Yameen’s arrest

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has confirmed that a circulating report alleging that a false court order has been issued to arrest former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is a forged document.

On Tuesday, MPS issued a statement condemning the false report that falsely claimed to be an official investigation by the police concerning an arrest order for Yameen.

The fabricated document, which has been circulating on social media, was analyzed by the police, who found several discrepancies.

This comes at the heels of a document being circulated on social media platforms, claiming that former president Yameen was about to be arrested.

Highlighting that upon examining the fabricated report, they noticed that the header used in the report did not match the header used in authentic police documents, MPS stated that the signature used in the forged report under the name of then Acting Commissioner of Police Abdulla Nawaz is a forged signature of Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Shifan, the Maldives Police Service spokesperson who signs police press statements.

This said, MPS has confirmed that the report was compiled by copying the format used in official police documents.

Further, the police institution highlighted that the signatures of some senior police officers were forged in the document and that it contains inaccurate and altered information.

The statement goes on to read that the police institution will launch an investigation into the report that was created and is being circulated, stressing that this is a serious matter.

Further, MPS has said that they are also probing a case where the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has requested MPS to investigate the circulation of an inauthentic report from the commission.

The police have urged the public to avoid spreading misinformation that could tarnish the reputation of the police institution and churn unnecessary panic or confusion.