Ajhadh Mohamed has been stuck in India for over 12 years after getting caught up in a drug case due to his brother-in-law's deception.
12 years ago, Ajhadh Mohamed travelled to India to consult his ailing ear. The 23 year old, who was studying mechanical engineering at Maldives Polytechnic at the time, took advantage of a break and took the trip overseas hoping to return soon. However, after getting caught up in a drug case, Ahjadh is still stuck in India.
Speaking with Mihaaru news, Ajhadh said the trip was to get a surgery done on his left ear. Since he had never traveled abroad alone before, he sought the help of his brother-in-law who often frequented Bangalore and had contacts there.
However, Ajhadh would soon find out that his brother-in-law had different plans - ones that include making him a drug mule. According to news articles from back then, even police had said that Ajhadh was used as a middle man in the attempt traffic 500 grams of heroine into Maldives.
"My brother-in-law's plan was to give me something and make me carry it without me knowing what it was. Since I was young and never had a police record, I didn't know. I didn't have experience in that [criminal activities] either," Ajhadh, who is originally from Gaafu Dhaalu atoll Thinadhoo said.
"My brother-in-law has a criminal record of that. He died of a stroke while in prison, in 2019."
On 5th February 2012, a man sent by Ajhadh's brother-in-law was at Bangalore airport to receive him. However, on the second day of the trip, police raided the hotel room he was taken to by the man, and authorities found drugs in a bag that was in the room.
At that point Police had not yet interrogated Ajhadh. However, Ajhadh was also arrested when the brother-in-law's friend pointed at him and said something in a foreign language.
"... We reached the hotel around evening that day. After sleeping, I was at the hotel lobby the next morning when police came in with an outsider. The man [who was at the airport to receive Ajuhadh] was in the room. When they went into the room and opened the bag that belonged to the man that was brought from outside, it had drugs. It was packed in carbon paper. They took it from the bag," Ajhadh recounted.
"As they were leave, the man who went to fetch from the airport pointed at me and something in [Kannada language] and they took me as well."
Since it was all new to him, Ajhadh didn't know what to do. He remained silent after he was informed that anything he said could be used against him. He did what he was told to do.
"They didn't question me even at the police station. There was no one there who knew English properly. There was no proper communication between us. They called my family upon my request. My family was also informed of what happened," he explained.
After that, Ajhadh said that he was given a document written in Kannada and asked to sign it, claiming that the would be released upon signature.
"I held off on signing the document a lot because I didn't know what was written on it. Eventually I signed because there was no other way. As soon as I signed it, they took me and drove off somewhere. It looked like a house. There was a judge there," he added.
"At that point, they told me not to say anything. So I kept quiet. They took me inside, said something, and took me out."
Since they all spoke in Kannada, Ajhadh did not understand what was said there.
After that, he was taken to jail cell with about 60 people already detained there. According to Ajhadh, he only found out why he was put in the cell much later.
"The case said that I was used as a courier to traffic drugs into Maldives," Ajhadh said.
The Bangalore Mirror reported at the time that Banwarilal from Rajasthan and Chetan Saxena from Madhya Pradesh were the two others who were arrested in the case. The duo are reported to have been involved in heroin smuggling in north India and arrested in the past under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Bhopal and Rajasthan.
Ajhadh's days in remand were difficult. With no way to communicate with people and poor diet, he was eventually out on bail in 2013 with his family's help.
"When I was out on bail, the judgement was not yet issued. While I was out, the other man in the case got arrested for another drug related issue while he was out on bail as well," he went on to explain.
"When he got a ruling in that case, on the day of the judgement, the public prosecutor said that they [Ajhadh and the other two] were involved in a drug case. So, they can't be released. So I was taken back to jail as well."
Ajhadh said according to Indian law, if one person is convicted or accused in such cases, other people involved in the also get convicted.
All three were later sentenced to 10 years in prison in October 2016, along with a fine of MVR 10,000 on the condition that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional year in prison.
While jailed a second time, Ajhadh was released on bail once again after he contracted tuberculosis. His health severely deteriorated, and was diagnosed with stage two of the disease. This paired with inadequate health facilities at the prison, he was granted bail in 2018.
"I'm required to serve three years and six months in prison. During that period I'm supposed to be in jail. They dont count the time spent out of jail here. [I] was sentenced to ten year, but since I haven't spent the rest of my time in prison, a decision has not been made."
Since then, no hearings have been held in the case.
With his passport being held pending a decision, Ajhadh has not been able to return back to Maldives. He lives a life of loneliness away from his family in a small space in Bangalore he rents out from a friend.
"It's not possible to cook and eat there. So I eat once a day. Since I've been eating like this once a day, I'm used to it now," he explained his living conditions.
As a means of income, Ajhadh helps Maldivians who travel to Bangalore seeking medical treatment. Although he earns something, it's not enough to make ends meet.
Since the beginning of the drug case, Ajhadh has been reaching out to Maldivian authorities, pleading for help. However, he claims he has not received assistance from any of the administrations that were in power during the past 12 years.
Ajhadh still hopes to return back to his homeland. Taking the opportunity to meet with President Dr Mohamed Muizzu during his recent state visit to India, where he also stopped at Bangalore, Ajhadh met with the President to explain his plight.
President Muizzu brought over Attorney General Ahmed Usham to the table, and assured Ajhadh that they would help him after clarifying the situation.
According to the documents Ajhadh shared with Mihaaru, he wrote to the Parliament in 2020, asking for help. The same year, he also wrote to the Foreign Ministry and former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
He received a response from the Foreign Ministry saying that they are in discussions with relevant Indian authorities to expedite the case. They also directed him to request financial assistance from other government agencies that deal with such matters.
Ajhadh said the only financial assistance he received from the Maldivian government was funds he received in 2021 via the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA), to receive an ear surgery.
During his time in India, Ajhadh also found love. In 2019, he got married to a Maldivian in Bangalore, and has a two year old daughter. However, both his wife and daughter live in the Maldives now, and he has only been able to see his daughter once in his life.
"I have been asking for help since the beginning. Earlier this year, the Embassy personnel met [with me] for the first time on a trip here. They also said they're in discussions," Ajhadh said.
Ajhadh also wrote to the Attorney General's Office in November 2023, and submitted all documents relating to the case. With no substantial help from any authority, Ajhad's concern is why no government administration has reached out with assistance - and why no one is able to tell him what is being done to expedite the case.
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