Police have said in a press conference today that besides the two arrested in relation to organized crime networks being conducted via Telegram channels, there are several other suspects implicated in the case.
Police have said in a press conference today that besides the two arrested in relation to organized crime networks being conducted via Telegram channels, there are several other suspects implicated in the case, and amounts of over MVR 2 million have been noted to have been rolled through the accounts of each of these suspects..
Illegal activities that the channels were involved in include drug dealing, money laundering and prostitution.
Cyber Police Investigations Officer Inspector of Police Aminath Mohamed said that police identified and arrested a 28 year old male and a 39 year old female involved in running telegram groups and channels Jazeera Admin, Jazeera Girls, Jazeera Escort Gallery, Jazeera Scam Alert, and Jazeera Link News. She said that they are being held in custody on remand.
Mihaaru has reported that they have knowledge indicating the arrested two individuals are a married couple, with one of them having an extensive criminal record.
Aminath revealed that although neither of the arrested individuals held any legitimate jobs or did any work to gain earnings, large transactions were regularly conducted through their bank accounts.
She added that several other suspects have also been identified in the case, with amounts exceeding MVR 2 million having been transacted through the bank accounts of each of these individuals.
"As we are continuing to investigate additional accounts, and as that will take time, we are unable to release details of these accounts at this time," she stated.
Police revealed that a high number of persons message Jazeera channels daily to seek services from them. When Police seized the channels, which were established in 2023, there were over 7000 subscribers, including both Maldivians and foreigners.
According to the presentation Police showed at the press conference, Jazeera services appear to have been most in demand between last December and February, with the channel being most active between 13:00 hrs and 15:00 hrs daily.
The presentation revealed that the most advertised services were sale of alcohol, forged medical certificates, sale of hashish and prostitution.
Aminath said that foreigners had been brought in from various countries to work in prostitution. It has been learned that these foreigners are in the country on tourist visas.
Aminath also revealed that a dedicated taxi used for the provision of prostitution services has been discovered through the investigation.
"The investigation has found that large amounts of money have been transferred between accounts belonging to persons suspected in this case. We have also uncovered a taxi dedicated for use in the prostitution trade. While these activities have gone on for a year, there is now a dedicated taxi," she said.
She noted that these are the most widely run illegal telegram channels uncovered in the Maldives to date.
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