Four Indians remanded after failing to prove ownership of smuggled drugs

Four Indian nationals arrested in connection with smuggling a near-kilogram of drugs into Maldives have been ruled by the Criminal Court as having failed to prove ownership of the narcotics involved in the case.

The suspects are:

• Aakash Yadav, 36  

• Amit Kumar, 36  

• Anil Kumar, 27  

• Rahul Nishad, 23

According to the Criminal Court order, the case began when Amit Kumar arrived in Maldives and customs officers discovered a large quantity of suspected drugs concealed inside his luggage. Police took him into custody at the scene, while the other three suspects were arrested after they arrived at the airport to receive the drugs.

The court order states that police submitted multiple documents as evidence, including customs inspection records, police statements, drug analysis reports, control delivery permits, operation logs, and the scene-of-crime officer’s report.

Customs documents show the provisional weight of the seized drugs as 0.74 kilograms. The drug analysis report later confirmed the substance as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabinol, with a tested weight of 706 grams.

The order notes that all four suspects claimed the drugs belonged to a man known as “Kuradheeb”, and argued that they should not be held responsible for the narcotics. However, police investigations found no evidence that any person by that name lived at the address where the suspects worked, nor any link confirming his existence.

The Criminal Court ruled that the suspects failed to prove ownership of the drugs and ordered all four to be remanded in custody for 30 days while the investigation continues.