Ministry of Home Affairs has revealed that they confiscated items that do not belong in a prison facility during their search in the remand unit of Maafushi Prison, conducted on Sunday evening following the scuffle that led to the revelation of torture and mistreatment of inmates.

In a tweet posted after sundown on Sunday, the ministry revealed that they have concluded the first day of inspection and that it had gone “smoothly”.

While they had confiscated items that were “inappropriate” or did not belong in the prison during Sunday’s search, they have since handed the items over to the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS), revealed the ministry.

In a statement released on earlier Sunday, the ministry said that there has been difficulty in ensuring the stability of the prison as the incident “has made the inmates restless.” Hence, the home ministry began the search in the remand unit -Unit 4- especially as the CCTV cameras in the area “have been damaged.”

The statement revealed that the searches would be conducted in the presence of the commissioner of prisons and deputy, as well as the inspector of correctional service. The ministry said that both audio and video records will be taken during the search. The statement further reads that the operation will be conducted “as per laws and regulations” and that force will be used if necessary, and “at the lowest level.”

Following reports of the commotion at the prison, two parliament committees held emergency meeting and summoned officials of the relevant institutions. While the home minister, director of prisons and commissioner of prisons were summoned, only Commissioner Abdulla Munaz was able to attend Saturday night’s committee meeting.

There, he said that inmates have been smuggling “illegal things” to the prison, but opted to disclose the details during the second part of the meeting which was held behind closed doors.