Police have revealed the victim of the safari sexual assault case said she was not raped.
A Kenyan woman was sexually assaulted on a liveaboard safari anchored in the lagoon of reclaimed suburb Hulhumale’ on last Friday around 05:00 hours. Two people were arrested in connection to the case who were later released due to which the police were subjected to harsh criticism and allegations.
Regarding the issue, police were summoned for a meeting with the Human Rights and Gender Committee of the parliament. The police revealed how the problem occurred. Hulhumale’s Police Station’s in-charge, Mohamed Rasheed said the incident was noticed by the police officers who were patrolling the jetty area of Hulhumale’. The three police officers who were on the scene at the time were questioned. When they asked further, the officers said the victim said she was sexually assaulted, and it was then decided to investigate the case as a sexual assault case, said Mohamed.
“Police attended the scene, identified the suspects, arrested them and an investigation was launched. The victim said she did not have any document so we took her Male’ and to a doctor”, said Mohamed.
Mohamed further said, the victim was refusing to see a doctor stating that there will not be any proof the doctor can find of the assault that happened. However, to proceed with the investigation they needed to take her to a doctor, and that they received the doctor’s report, said Mohamed. He added that the time passed between taking the victim to her place of residence and seeing a doctor was not enough to hinder the evidence.
Chief Inspector Mariyam Azma said while the investigation of the case was ongoing as a sexual assault case, in media, it was reported as a rape case upon which they summoned the victim and questioned again. The victim repeatedly said she was not raped and said what was reported on media was not true.
“I questioned and told that in media such a report [rape] was stated. She was also very concerned about it. Similarly, she said it was not rape. They touched parts of her body,” said Azma.
Azma added that the police questioned the boat’s captain and the two people who were alleged to have had her intoxicated.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Abdul Mannaan Yusuf said there was no influence on the case, and soon the case will be forwarded to Prosecutor General Office after concluding its investigation.
