Criminal Court issues warrant for arrest of Maleesha Hajj Group owner

The Criminal Court of the Maldives has issued a warrant for the arrest of Ismail Abdul Latheef, owner of Maleesha Hajj Group. Ismail, 42, Aafini Villa, Hulhumalé, and his Hajj Group has been accused of deceptively taking subscriptions from some 175 persons with the false promise of managing their pilgrimage to the Holy City of Makkah this year.

Police Media Official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told today that the case has been under investigation for a few days, and that Ismail Abdul Latheef left the country as soon as investigations began. He said that the police filed for an arrest warrant against Ismail yesterday, and that the police were doing what was necessary for bringing the man back to the country.

Ismail Abdul Latheef is the son of Athama Abdul Latheef, the owner of the famous Athamaa Hajj Group, which is the first pilgrimage management group in the Maldives.

While 175 people have paid subscriptions to Maleesha Hajj Group with the hope of visiting the Holy City this year, 54 people have filed complaints with the police when the Group “went into hiding” days ago. It has been reported that the building which housed the Hajj Group has been locked for days, and that none of the contact numbers given to the subscribers has answered any calls.

The Police have already made an announcement requesting for information about all persons who paid subscriptions to Maleesha. Police Media Official said that 8 people, in addition to the 54 people who filed complaints, shared information with the police today.

Sun Online interviewed some of the individuals who paid subscriptions to Maleesha. They confirmed that the group charged MVR 68,000 per person, and guaranteed that they would be taken to the Holy City for pilgrimage. They all confirmed that the contact numbers given by the group are not in use, and that the office of the Group has been locked up for days, and that its Name Plate has been removed too.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has said that Maleesha Group was never authorized to manage pilgrimage.

According to records, Maleesha Group received MVR 11.9 million as subscriptions from aspiring pilgrims.