Maldivian man flees country after giving false information regarding drugs to police and media

Abdulla Junaid, 37, GA. Dhevvadhoo, sentenced to life in prison over a drug-related case who was granted conditional release from custody, has fled the country after giving false information to the police and media regarding drugs.

At a press conference held by Maldives Police Service’s Head of Drug Enforcement Department Superintendent of Police Ahmed Shakir said that Junaid’s case had come to the attention of Police on December 28.

Shakir detailed that Junaid had told two officers that were patrolling Male’ City on the night of December 28, that two migrants who were carrying two boxes near Neelan Fihaara had abandoned the boxes and run after seeing police officers. Junaid had also told the officers the box contained 3 kilos of something suspected to be drugs.

Shakir further detailed that Junaid had stayed with officers at the scene for a while, during which he had sent a picture of the scene to MV Crisis.

As per Shakir, the officers who had attended the scene on Junaid’s information had seen the abandoned boxes, as they were told.

“The incident was reported as a breaking news by MV Crisis on December 28, 2021, stating Police had arrested a migrant in front of Neelan Fihaara with 3 kilos of hash oil. The news was broken under this title,” he had said.

Shakir said that upon further investigation by the Police, it was discovered that the ordeal had been orchestrated by Junaid. In this regard, he noted that Junaid had kept the boxes near Neelan Fihaara on his own, and reported it to patrolling officers.

Junaid had planned this out, in a ruse to not return MVR 160,000 taken from some people under a false promise to acquire 3 kilos of drugs. Shakir said that Junaid had made the false report to the media to convince the people he had taken money from that the drug he acquired had been seized by the police.

He further said that after Junaid had made the false report to the police, he had gone to the apartment which he lived at in Hulhumale’ – after which he was held captive by the people that he had taken money from.

“Around 3:29am, the three people who were holding Junaid captive had called his brother and demanded to pay back the money. When Junaid’s brother had said that he can only afford to give MVR 10,000, they had gone to Junaid’s brother along with him. As police officers were at the scene, they told that Junaid was not being held captive – adding that they were having a disagreement over money,” Shakir had said.

Junaid was arrested under a court order on December 29, as police were suspicious over the case.

However, Criminal Court had released him citing that the scenario played out by the police were logically unreliable. Shakir said that Criminal Court had stated that the individual who kept the boxes would not have reported it – and that there were no evidence connecting Junaid to the crime apart from traces of cannabis discovered on the box.

Police said that Junaid fled the country on December 30, upon being released by the Criminal Court. They further detailed that he is currently married to a Turkish woman – adding that he had no sought approval from Maldives Correctional Service before leaving the country.