16 expats detained from 6 cafés, three cafés given notice

Six cafés in Hulhumalé were searched by Maldives Immigration recently, from which, 16 expatriates were detained.

In a post published by the agency on X (formerly Twitter), the raids were carried out on last Tuesday and Wednesday, in establishments located in Hulhumalé Phase 1.

From the six places searched, 16 expatriates were found to have been in violation of the country's immigration laws, and were subsequently taken in to Immigration's custody. Three cafés were also discovered to not have the proper permits, due to which they were given notices from the relevant authorities.

Last Wednesday Immigration launched a special operation to search residences of expatriates in a bid to resolve the issue of foreigners living in the country in violation of the country's laws.

This comes as it was recently discovered that more than 50 expatriates were living over Maafannu ward's Gaamagu Café which caught on fire earlier this month.

The three storey building's top two floors were made with wooden decks and roofing sheets as walls. The building was completely destroyed in the fire.

So far, authorities have deported over 3,000 foreigners who were found to have been in violation of various laws. As the operation still continues, it is reported that some have fled to the atolls as an attempt to flee the authorities.

The Family Court of Maldives also recently reported that there is a rise in the number of marriage applications for foreign grooms and local brides. According to the country's Immigration policy, foreigners married to locals get a long term residency visa in the country.