Suspect in three-hour café hostage incident remanded for 20 days

A man who held a group of people inside a café for three hours has been arrested and remanded in custody for 20 days. The arrested man is Ifham Ahmed, 19, of Ifan, GA. Maamendhoo. The detention order was made when he was produced before the court. The police investigating officer told the court that Ifham threatened the people inside the café, saying he would strike them with a bottle if they did not hand over their phones, and that he held them there unlawfully for three hours. The officer also said Ifham filmed videos on his phone in a manner that diminished the dignity and honour of the people subjected to violence in front of others. The court was told that sufficient evidence has been obtained against him, including the statement of the person subjected to violence, statements from witnesses, medico-legal reports of those subjected to violence, and screenshots of CCTV footage. Police suspect Ifham of committing assault, threatening, criminal coercion and unlawfully detaining people. His lawyer asked the court to release him with conditions, but the judge ruled that he be detained for the safety and security of the community.