Hiyaa hostage case: court remands all but four suspects until probe wraps up
The victim was held hostage inside an apartment in a Hiyaa Tower by a group of 12 men
The kidnapping case was reported from Hulhumalé Hiyaa Tower
All but four suspects involved in the hostage situation at one of the Hiyaa Towers, have been remanded pending the end of the investigation.
The victim was held hostage inside an apartment in a Hiyaa Tower by a group of 12 men. The victim was being held in apartment 11 on the 20th floor of Hiyaa Tower 9. The 12 people arrested in connection with the case have since been remanded in custody.
The incident was reported at around 7:40pm on November 7. According to information received, the hostage was a 31-year-old man. Upon learning that he was on the 20th floor of Hiyaa Tower, police obtained a court order, broke down the apartment door, and rescued the person. Police report that when they rescued the hostage, his head had been shaved, and when police arrived at the scene, the gang of 12 was preparing to sever his fingers. Police say no other physical injuries to the hostage were noted.
On Saturday, police said that 12 people had been arrested in connection with the case. When presented before the Criminal Court for remand hearings, five of them were remanded for five days, while the remaining seven were remanded for seven days.
As the remand period expired on Sunday, the suspects were presented to the Criminal Court for a second hearing.
Zahid was remanded for an additional five days and Almaan, Izaan and Izkaan were remanded for eight additional days.
The remaining eight suspects were remanded until the investigation wraps up.
Maldives Police Service (MPS) recently revealed that a man named Mohamed Saleem, 65 who is believed to be the main suspect behind the hostage situation, was arrested and remanded for 15 days on November 13. The suspect is believed to be involved in drug trafficking and was sentenced to life imprisonment in the past. He was charged at the Criminal Court in 2016 for trafficking drugs, found guilty on 17 March 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence was upheld by the High Court on 6 October 2022. While serving this sentence, he was transferred to house arrest on 8 July 2021. Police added that another case of drug trafficking against him is currently ongoing at the Hulhumalé Court.
Police went on to note that the hostage situation was related to a dispute over drug trafficking.
The victim was likely held hostage and assaulted due to a disagreement stemming from drug trafficking activities. The flat where the person was held hostage was previously searched in relation to drug cases. Further, police revealed that the owner of the flat was also involved in the case.
