Six Bangladeshis Remanded for 10 Days Over Alleged Foreign Currency Smuggling
20 ސެޕްޓެމްބަރު 2026 | އާދީއްތަ 08:47Six Bangladeshi nationals have been remanded for 10 days following their arrest for attempting to smuggle 3.8 million Rufiyaa worth of foreign currency out of the Maldives concealed inside cereal packets. The suspects face money laundering allegations after being apprehended during a targeted operation by the national task force established to dismantle the country's illicit foreign exchange black market.
Criminal Court. | Raajje MV
A joint task force established to identify and take legal action against individuals involved in illegal foreign currency exchange has remanded six Bangladeshi nationals for 10 days, following an operation that led to their arrest with approximately 3.86 million MVR in foreign currency.
On September 19, 2026, the Criminal Court ordered these six individuals to be remanded in custody for 10 days. However, all suspects have denied the money laundering allegations brought against them.
Mohamed Mainuddin Salah, 35, who was arrested in connection with the allegations, told the court that he went to the airport to hide an individual named Russell. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Rajib stated that he took possession of the luggage containing the cash at the request of Ajgor Miridha, who had promised him payment. He added that he did not know the person who handed over the luggage. Mohamed Abdulla, 38, also arrested in the case, maintained that he went to the airport solely to pick up a passenger arriving from Bangladesh and for no other purpose.
Furthermore, 37-year-old Ajgor Miridha stated that he has not returned to Bangladesh in several years and is currently employed as a mason on an administrative island for a monthly salary of 7,000 Rufiyaa. He told the court that he encountered an individual named Rajib at the airport, who requested his assistance because his luggage was overweight, though Miridha maintains he did not know the man. He further testified that while they were there, another Bangladeshi national approached him and asked him to carry some of his belongings, and it was inside that luggage that the items in question were discovered.
MD Mohiddin Chowdhury, 28, who was arrested in connection with the case, stated that he went to the airport to see off a friend. Meanwhile, 46-year-old MD Shahin Miah claimed he went to the airport to deliver a parcel given to him by an acquaintance to a person named Miriada, and maintained that he was unaware of the parcel's contents.
However, the court stated that a certain amount of evidence supporting the allegations has been obtained.
In this regard, a summary report detailing the events at the scene and police statements, along with an intelligence report, have been submitted to the court. Police further testified that all the individuals involved were part of an attempt to smuggle 3.8 million Rufiyaa worth of foreign currency out of the Maldives by concealing it inside cereal packets.
While the police continue to investigate the matter, the operation was conducted on September 18, 2026, following intelligence received by the task force.
A total of 18 different currencies were seized during this operation.
The seized currency includes 174,161 US Dollars, 56,760 Euros, and 1,815 British Pounds. According to the police, the total value of the recovered funds amounts to approximately 3,861,415.29 Maldivian Rufiyaa.
The expansion of the Joint Task Force's operations comes at a time when the country is facing a severe dollar shortage. The government maintains that the exorbitant rise in black market exchange rates is driven by the illegal outflow of US dollars from the Maldives. Special operations are currently underway to address and rectify this issue.
