The Criminal Court has ordered a 15-day remand for a Bangladeshi man living illegally in Maldives after he was arrested for tearing up his passport in order to avoid deportation after being taken to Velana International Airport.

The person who was arrested, Sheikh MD Masum Latif, 21, is being accused by the police of damaging property.

The court ordered his arrest after a sufficient amount of evidence was submitted against him for a formal accusation. This includes the incident report from police on the scene and Immigration's incident report.

Masum Latif's arrest order reads that he has been living illegally in Maldives in violation of the Immigration Act and once he was brought under Immigration's care to be deported, he ripped up his passport. Police said he tore up his passport after being taken to a holding cell at Immigration.

The court order reads that after Latif was detained, an assessment was conducted on him as he was suspected of having a mental illness. However, the report states that there are no notable obstacles in accusing him criminally, conducting an investigation and pressing criminal charges.