Police arrests former commissioner Ahmed Areef

Police have arrested their former commissioner, Ahmed Areef, in their search of his home on Tuesday.

Areef, who was dismissed without a revealed reason last month, was taken to the detention facility in Dhoonidhoo island.

Officers of the police began searching his apartment home, Snow Rose in Maafannu, at about 9:45 AM.

Areef was dismissed in the early hours of 2nd February, after the police announced that they are working to enforce the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling to release detainees and reinstate parliamentarians.

Areef has claimed that he was sacked for attempting to enforce the ruling, and to have said detainees released.

The former commissioner has familial ties to jailed lawmaker Ahmed Faris Maumoon, who claimed during a police raid on his home, in the same apartment building, that he has information of arrest being forced.

Faris said that Areef told him that President Abdulla Yameen himself had once reached out to have the Maldives Police Service apprehend and detain him. Areef has since refuted ever having said such a thing to the parliamentarian.