Release of convicts without a robust monitoring system caused crime surge: ACP Shifan

The recent hike in criminal activity in Malé City is the result of releasing convicts from Maldives Correctional Service approximately ten months ago, said Assistant Commissioner of Police and Spokesperson of Maldives Police Service Ahmed Shifan today.

In a post by on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Shifan attributed the rising crime rates to the release of 434 convicts around ten months ago, and the lack of a robust system to monitor them.

"...We are in a serious crisis. And past unplanned projects of infrastructure investments in the law enforcement sector have made it much more difficult to resolve the issue," he said.

Maldives Police Service acknowledged the significant hike in crime rates in the capital city in a recent press conference as well.

In some of the most recent cases, a large-scale scam involving vehicles within the Transport Ministry came to light while authorities were already investigating the theft of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL)'s Managing Director Ibrahim Shareef Mohamed's vehicle. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that a significant vehicle theft network was behind the crime.

Multiple cases of men being lured into a flat in Hulhumalé Phase 2 under various pretenses, then being held against their will and blackmailed, have also been reported recently. Authorities have revealed the identities of the five individuals involved in this.