Criminal Court releases one of three arrested over café hostage abuse case; youth remanded for 20 days

Three Maldivians have been arrested on suspicion of holding a group inside a café last month and abusing them, with the Criminal Court releasing one of the suspects after finding it was his first offence. The details emerged alongside the disclosure that the detention period of Ifham Ahmed, 19, of Ga. Maamendhoo / Ifan, was extended yesterday. He is accused of assault, intimidation, criminal coercion and unlawfully holding people, accusations the youth denies. His court order states that the youth held a group inside a café. Citing the Investigating Officer (IO), the court said the victims had been threatened that they would be struck with a glass bottle if they did not hand over their phones. The IO said the person who was unlawfully abused was held inside the café for about three hours, and that a video was made by phone in a manner that would diminish the dignity and honour of the abused person in front of people. The Criminal Court yesterday ordered that Ifham be held for a further 20 days, a period that will end on the first day of next month. According to police, the others arrested in the case are Aiham Adil, 24, of Ga. Maamendhoo / Zenith, and Mohamed Shunaan, 21, of K. Kaashidhoo / Dunthari. According to the Criminal Court's detention order, Aiham was released after conditions were set on the 31st of last month. The court released him while holding his passport and prohibiting him from leaving the island. That order states he was released because the charges alleged against him are a first offence and he was also arrested for the first time. It has not been confirmed so far whether a detention period has been set for Shunaan, who was subsequently arrested in the case. Dangerous cases of people being held hostage, intimidated in various ways and having money robbed have also surfaced before in the Malé area.