Ibrahim Zihan has been charged with the murder of the 13-year-old boy who was discovered dead in Hulhumale' in June.
The young boy, who was first reported as kidnapped, was found murdered in the beach area of reclaimed suburbs Hulhumale' on June 22. A 17-year-old minor was arrested along with Zihan in connection to the boy's murder. Both suspects are said to have been friends of the boy.
Speaking at a press conference held by the Prosecutor General's Office on Thursday, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said 13 charges have been raised against Zihan in connection to the boy's murder. If he is convicted of the charges, he is expected to face a jail sentence of over 100 years.
The charges against Zihan are:
One charge of voluntary homicide
One charge of grooming a minor in order to have sexual relations
Five charges of unlawful sexual contact with a minor
One charge of abuse of a human corpse
One charge of unlawful restraint of a person
One charge of using a minor to commit a criminal offense
One charge of drugging a minor in order to have sexual relations
Additional charges of sexual abuse of children
PG Shameem said the charges of sexual abuse of children are linked not only to the deceased boy but also to several other children. However, the details cannot be shared under the Child Rights Protection Act, he added.
The 17-year-old minor also faces three charges. They are one count of voluntary homicide, one charge of unlawful restraint of a person and one charge of abuse of a human corpse.
Maldives Police Service concluded the investigation into the 13-year old's murder and sent the case to the PG Office for charging on August 17.
