The Criminal Court has remanded for 15 days a man arrested over complaints that he had been harassing members of the public in Malé, after a resident staged a hunger strike at Henveiru Police Station because the case had gone unresolved for more than a year and a half.
The man arrested is Ahmed Fairish, 43, from Hoarafushi in Haa Alif Atoll, who has a previous detention record. He was arrested on suspicion of making threats, damaging property, assault and obstructing police officers in the course of their duties.
Fairish denied the allegations at his remand hearing. However, the court ordered him held for 15 days, noting that police had submitted evidence including the victim's statement, a police incident report and custody logs, that the arrest had followed proper procedure, and that he has a previous detention record. His remand will end on Monday, 2 November.
The arrest followed a hunger strike by Mohamed Saeed, who holds a senior post, at Henveiru Police Station. In a Facebook post, Saeed said a man addicted to drugs had for more than a year and a half caused serious trouble for his family, neighbours and people using the roads in the area. He said this included shouting abuse at people walking along Dhoohimeri Magu, blocking the road with bicycles and boards, throwing rubbish at his house, splashing oil and water onto the street from a balcony, throwing plastic bottles at people, shouting loudly through the night and entering the building without permission. Saeed said the matter had been reported to police with evidence, but the authorities had failed to protect his family and neighbours.
Police arrested the suspect within around 10 hours of the hunger strike beginning. Police said the man is related to Saeed, that legal action had been taken each time a complaint was filed and that he had previously been detained and released, but that it was not possible to keep a person under constant police watch.
Saeed ended his hunger strike after 35 hours, saying Home Minister Ali Ihusaan and other relevant authorities had assured him of their full support in taking the case forward. He said he would keep a close watch on whether those promises were carried out.
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