Former Commissioner of Maldives Police Service Abdulla Riyaz has urged the authorities to hasten the arrest of the rape suspect believed to have sexually abused a 19 year old woman.
Police had received report of a sexual harassment case on Thursday involving a man from an influential and high-profile family of Male'. The incident took place at a records studio when the 19 year old female had visited the venue as part of her arts project.
The alleged suspect is a well known artist himself while the victim is an up and coming talent in the Maldivian entertainment industry.
Following the incident making headlines and waves, Riyaz who also chairs the deputy leader responsibilities of Qasim Ibrahim founded Jumhoory Party called for the immediate remand of the suspect without providing the culprit with any undue protection.
He stressed in restraining rapists and individuals with sexual exploitation and abuse backgrounds, and characterized them as a "danger" to society.
The victim of the case, spoke with Avas Online and detailed her misfortune at the records studio. She claimed that her continued efforts to escape from the venue and her perpetrator were futile as he had allegedly raped her.
Furthermore the young artist claimed she was offered MVR 16,000 to keep the incident discreet from authorities.
The incident took place on January 3, 2018 around 20:00hrs while she was able to make her escape an hour later at 21:00hrs. She was driven to hospital for medical attention by a group of her friends.
Victimized female artist recalled the events of the night to Avas Online and confirmed she stayed at the police station to give her statement as late as 06:30hrs of the following day. During this time she took the authorities to the site of the crime.
Reports have confirmed the rape culprit's DNA were collected from the victim's clothes as part of evidence.
Although the victim had revealed her culprit's full identity, the details are kept undisclosed under the Anti-Defamation Act until solid evidence and testimonies have been collected.
It has become clear that the alleged culprit belonged to a politically influential individual's family and upon being phoned by the victim's friends, the man had challenged stating "I don't care even if you report it to authorities, police cannot lay a finger on me," hinting his confidence of political protection.
Meanwhile the victim of the case claims her perpetrator has changed his phone-carrier number and is currently in hiding and at large. She also suspected the alleged rapist had not been apprehended for questioning.
A police media official had corroborated the news of receiving a rape case involving a high-profile individual, however further details were not disclosed.
Maldives registers a surprisingly high number of sexual molestation and abuse cases with a staggering 417 cases reported to authorities in 2017. It has been only six days since 2018 had started but 3 cases of sexual abuse had already been lodged at the authorities.
