Tuesday
26th Nov 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Indian man who attacked the worshiper.
An Indian man who had entered a mosque in Hulhumale and assaulted an elderly worshiper on January 15 has been deported back to India without any criminal charges laid against him.
The Indian man had been presented on Monday at the Hulhumale Magistrate Court, which had ordered him to be detained for 5 days. The man had been deported this morning, before the expiration of his detention period.
The Indian man, who worked as a cashier in a Hulhumale cafe, had assaulted the elderly worshiper in Azeeza Mosque, in Hulhumale. The Maldives Police Service have claimed that the Indian man had complained that the old man smelled bad. However, the victim of the attack said that the Indian man had said no such thing prior to the attack. The victim said that the Indian man had asked him if he needed help, and then proceeded to assault him.
On his arrest, the Court had ordered that the man be detained for a period of 10 days. After the expiration of that period, the Court had renewed his detention for an additional 5 days.
The Maldives Police Service claimed that it was the Prosecutor General's Office that had decided upon deporting the Indian man. The Police claimed that they had investigated the case and closed it and submitted it, with the evidential record attached, to the Prosecutor General's Office.
There has been a recent spike in crimes committed by Indian nationals in the Maldives. Most recently, an Indian employee at a Maldivian resort had attempted to rape a Maldivian woman. He has since fled the country. Prior to this, an intoxicated Indian man had been arrested after he had been in the street yelling anti-Islamic hate-speech.
More than 5,000 Indian nationals have been granted work visas that permit them to live and work in the Maldives. In addition, several Indian military personnel are also stationed in the Maldives. The Maldivian Ministry of Defence has adamantly refused to disclose any information about their number.