Dhanaal Incident: Over four hours elapsed before police responded to message "I'm so close to giving up"
The Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology has disclosed a timeline of the police response regarding the death of a female student at the Maldives National University (MNU) hostel, revealing significant delays in responding to her distress messages. While the Minister noted that the delay in locating the student's room after arriving at the premises was due to difficulties in obtaining clear information, he confirmed that an independent expert review is currently underway to evaluate the efficiency and conduct of the police response during the incident.
Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan | Presidents office
A timeline shared by Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan has revealed a significant delay in the police response to the scene where a female student was found dead at the Maldives National University (MNU) hostel in Male'.
According to the timeline shared by the Minister regarding the incident at the dormitory, four hours elapsed between the young woman’s initial message and the formal reporting of the matter to the police command center. Furthermore, a significant amount of time passed without any response from the police while she continued to send messages via Viber.
When questioned regarding the matter during Thursday's press briefing, the Minister informed RaajjeMV that professional investigators would review the timeline of events. This review will include an assessment of the police response to the incident. The Minister further stated that once experts have concluded their investigation into the necessary details, further information will be disclosed.
Professional reviewers specializing in such matters will evaluate this timeline and examine our response process. Once we receive that feedback from the experts, we will update you on the findings regarding our response timeline.Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan
Furthermore, while police arrived at the hostel at 1:08 a.m. that night, the child’s room was not located until 1:32 a.m. When questioned by RaajjeMV regarding this delay, the Minister explained that because it was late at night, time was lost as the staff member on duty had to contact the relevant individuals to gather the necessary information.
Regarding the progress of the work as of 1:32 a.m., the delay was attributed to the late hour. The time was spent coordinating with the staff member on duty and waiting for them to contact the relevant parties to retrieve the necessary information.Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan
According to the timeline shared by the Minister, the victim first sent a message to the police Victim Support Unit at 20:40 that night. The message read, "I'm so close to giving up." The police responded nine minutes later, at 20:49. Following this, the individual sent several more messages to the police. In these messages, the victim stated that they had no control over their thoughts, but later messaged saying they were feeling better and were going out for a walk. However, the police did not provide any further response to those subsequent messages.
Later that night, at 12:38 a.m., he sent a final message to the police stating, "I am gone." However, it was not until 1:03 a.m. that officers contacted the command center to request assistance at the scene.
