Police have arrested a Maldivian man believed to have been heading the network illegally selling alcohol in the Male' area, uncovered through a recent raid at H. Maadhooge.
Mohamed Rushwan Abbas, 53, of H. Karoage, Male' was arrested under a court order.
Police initially arrested three foreigners in relation to the case, who have all been held in remand in custody. Questioned by media, police revealed last night that the Maldivian involved in the case has also been arrested.
It has been reported that Rushwan is the Managing Director of the office run at H. Maadhooge, where the alcohol was discovered.
Yesterday, the Criminal Court ordered that Rushwan be held in remand in custody for 15 days as the investigation proceeds. The court order states that the two people detained in the case are staff working for Rushwan.
Of the three foreigners arrested in relation to the case, two are employees working for Rushwan. These two individuals have told Investigation Officers that they had been conducting the alcohol sales on direct instruction from Rushwan.
The remand order reveals that Rushwan has denied the charges. He requested bail, which the court denied.
The court yesterday placed the three foreigners, all from Bangladesh, also on remand in custody. Al Amin, 34, and Polin, 43, are to be held in custody for 5 days, while MD Rakib Hosein, 25, received 15 days.
Two floors of H. Maadhooge were searched under a court order, where Police discovered 826 bottles of alcohol.
Videos released by police show that the door of the offices where the alcohol had been stored had been secured with a smart lock. Inside, the alcohol had been stacked on shelves, while more cases were seen on the floor.
