Eagerly awaiting outcome of inquiries into safari sexual assault case: commissioner

Commissioner of Police, Mohamed Hameed has said that he is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the inquiries in to alleged sexual assault on a safari boat.

Hameed, via Twitter, confirmed that the police’s Professional Standards Command, National Integrity Commission (NIC) and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) are probing the case.

While a Kenyan woman is to have been sexually assaulted on a safari boat over the weekend, authorities especially the police has been subject to public ridicule following the decision to release the suspects. There has been confusion over the case as well, with one local news outlet reporting that she was raped while the other claims that she was sexually assaulted; both publications said that the information was given by the victim.

Police have since assured a thorough and impartial investigation into the case, the police commissioner said that he believes that “each sworn officer has to operate independently in the discharge of duties”.

He added that “the exercise of police powers and discretion by officers is derived from law and established legal procedures”.

In a statement, police said that the 27-year-old woman had decided to jump off the boat after two men groped her. While there are claims that the suspects were released due to their connections with government officials, the parliament’s committee on gender and human rights have launched a probe into the case as well.