Maldives Police Service has said body cameras were not worn by the officers who arrested Abdulla Rasheed, 43, of Sven, GDh. Hoadedhdhoo.
Abdulla Rasheed was arrested from Hoadedhdhoo island on Tuesday afternoon on drug-related charges. He passed away while in police custody later the same evening, raising questions surrounding the circumstance of his death.
When asked by reporters if body cameras were used by the police in Tuesday's operation to arrest Rasheed, the police said body cameras were not used in the operation. While the police officially started using body cameras on February 13 this year, the police at the time said 200 body cameras would be used in Male' City and southernmost Addu City.
Police said the deceased's body was brought to Male' City early last night. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of his death. However, the family is refusing to cooperate, the police said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the police said Rasheed suffered chest pains and a seizure while in police custody and was taken to GDh. Madaveli Health Center. According to doctors, he had already passed away by the time he was taken to the hospital, the police said.
Police said Rasheed was taken to the hospital in a rented speedboat. There were also civilians on the speedboat used to transport Rasheed, police said.
"The National Integrity Commission (NIC) and the Human Rights Commission have been asked to investigate the incident," police said in a statement.
According to some residents of Hoadedhdhoo who spoke to AVAS, the deceased told police he had chest pains when he was arrested. Some believe he passed away due to a delay in treatment.
