Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed appealed the decision of the Police Disciplinary Board to demote seven officers of the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), over brutalising an expatriate suspect under their custody.
The officers were suspended for manhandling a suspect arrested over illicit substances in an anti-drug operation last July. The raid was conducted at Ujaalage house, in Maafannu ward of capital Male' City.
According to the police, the CP requested further investigations and a revised decision, under the regulations which determine punishments for disciplinary and administrative offences.
The case, initially investigated by Professional Standards Command, was forwarded to the Disciplinary Board which decided to demote and transfer the officers to another department in addition to stripping them of their honours.
According to the Police, the officers were not brought back to the line of duty despite them having completed their term of suspension.
A leaked video of the incident depicts plain-clothed officers inflicting multiple blows on the suspect, including kicks and jabs after the individual was thrown down and pinned to the ground. Throughout the video, he did not exhibit any signs of retaliation and was compliant to the officers' orders. Moreover, an officer is seen smashing a concrete block on the man's left wrist, presumably in an attempt to destroy his wristwatch.
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