Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohamed Riyaz has refuted reports linking him to the 33-year-old suspect in the recently surfaced case of sexual assault against a two-year-old from Kanduhulhudhoo island in Gaaf Alif atoll.
Ever since the disturbing news made the spotlight this past weekend, social media users have been accusing Riyaz of having close ties with the man, the toddler’s father, and circulating reports that he had attempted to defend the culprit.
Refuting the reports, Riyaz took to social media platform Facebook on Saturday, claiming that the 33-year-old is a “stranger” to him and his whole family.
The post alleges the suspect as a “childhood friend” of mine due to which the MPS wasn’t taking action against him in the said case. The truth of the matter is that the person is a total stranger to me and my family, to the extent I can remember. I had to respond as that baseless post not only hurt but may expose my family to harm. That post is false and baseless, and it is a deliberate attempt to target me for my work.”Mohamed Riyaz
Brushing the allegations off as attempts to target him for his work, Riyaz claimed that he chose not to respond to the accusations earlier considering his chosen profession and that his confession is to protect his family from any harm that the baseless allegations may expose them to.
While Maldives Police Service (MPS) and the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services have been facing backlash in inadequate measures taken to curb such cases from repeating, during a press conference on Saturday, both bodies revealed that they are doing everything necessary to protect the right of children.
Also on Saturday, police confirmed that two, believed to be the two-year-old victim’s 62-year-old grandfather and 82-year-old great grandfather, are accused of sexually assaulting the toddler while one, believed to be the 33-year-old father, is accused of negligence.
The victim’s mother was in capital city Malé following “health issues” when the truth unfolded, and the child was moved under the protection of her maternal grandmother after further tests were carried out on the trauma inflicted on her.
