Two remanded for seven days over mango theft in Male'

The Criminal Court has remanded two men in custody for seven days after they were arrested on suspicion of stealing mangoes from a tree in Male'.

The suspects are Mohamed Suhail, 33, from GDh. Rathafandhoo, Neelvilla, and Ahmed Ali, 37, from HDh. Kulhudhuffushi, Kastooreege.

Both have prior arrest and detention records, according to the court order.

During the remand hearing, the men told the court that they did not know it was illegal to pick mangoes from a tree facing the road. They claimed they did not climb the tree but only picked fruit within reach from the ground, and that they took only four mangoes.

However, the police incident report stated that Ahmed Ali climbed the tree while Mohamed Suhail collected the mangoes from below.

The arrest warrant did not specify the exact location of the tree. Similar cases of mango theft have been reported in Male' in the past.