A man has been arrested in Noonu atoll Velidhoo island for calling President Abdulla Yameen a ‘thief’, evidently before his arrival in the island as part of his campaign tour for the approaching Presidential Election.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s campaign manager in Velidhoo, Ajvadh Hussain revealed that a group of opposition members had gathered by the harbor because President Yameen was scheduled to arrive in Velidhoo island on Tuesday night. While they were waiting, one of the residents had been arrested for calling the President a “thief”.

According to Ajvadh, two more arrests had been made and one of them includes a woman.

Moreover, he added that officers of the Maldives Police Service (MPS) had arrived where opposition supporters were gathered and begun to confiscate their banners and flags under a court order. Officers had even confiscated MDP flags put up in some of the houses before President Yameen’s arrival.

President Yameen arrived in Velidhoo island on Tuesday night to mark the conclusion of some of the development projects in the island.