Three detained for holding co-worker hostage, severing finger

Three young men were detained pending the outcome of their trial on Monday, after they were accused of holding a person hostage in Male’, and subjecting him to prolonged torture, including cutting off one of his fingers.

The suspects in the case – three Maldivian males aged 18, 21 and 23 – were brought before the Criminal Court for their remand hearing on Monday.

The court ordered for all three to be detained pending the outcome of their trial, “for the safety of the community.”

The three suspects are accused of unlawfully restraining a person and then beating him and assaulting him with a sharp-edged weapon.

At the hearing, all three suspects denied the allegations against them. They claimed that the victim was a co-worker. They denied that they severed his finger, claiming that he had injured himself while using a power tool.

However, the court decided the police had submitted sufficient proof against the suspects, including investigative statements, snapshots of CCTV footage, photos of the victim’s injuries, intelligence reports and other evidence.

According to court documents, the evidence submitted in the case suggest the crime had been organized in nature, with the victim subjected to prolonged torture.

The court instructed the police to finish the investigation and forward the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office for formal charges as soon as possible.