10 arrested following unrest in R. Maduvvari

10 have been arrested in connection to the unrest in Maduvvari island of Raa atoll, after the rape of a minor made the spotlight and churned outrage.

The case of a group of men including a teacher at Maduvvari School and a police officer, gang-raping a 14-year-old girl sparked outrage across the island community and a large crowd of infuriated residents created unrest outside of the police station in the island, demanding the arrest of the suspects on Wednesday night.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has since launched investigations into the unrest, where infuriated island residents damaged state property and attempted to assault police officers.

All of the ten individuals arrested are local men.

Police received reports of the sexual assault on the minor which took place on March 3, over a week later on March 11. The victim has since been taken under the protection of the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services, after providing a statement of the abuse to the authorities.

It has been reported that the minor was led to a guesthouse under the false pretense that she had “unfinished school work” and two masked men were present with the teacher -who was also masked- at the guesthouse the victim was lured into.

Sources cited the victim having stated that one of the men was dressed in police uniform. The men threatened to kill her entire family should she tell anyone what happened, before she was forced to down a glass of “juice”. The child is to have said that she was aware that she was being tied up while she was passing out.

While the rape is to have occurred a fortnight back, the child suffers immense mental trauma from the abuse. As such, she evidently exhibits traumatized behavior such as crying, screaming and avoiding social interactions. The victim was also treated at the island hospital.