Police to conduct autopsy for kidnapper’s cause of death

Following the demise of Adam Athuhar, the kidnapper who attempted to flee authorities with a hostage last Thursday, Maldives Police Service has decided to conduct an autopsy to identify the cause of death.

Maldives Police Service on Monday confirmed Athuhar passed away amid treatment at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) around 16:08hrs.

While police said it is looking into the matter, the authority said it intends to conduct an autopsy to identify the cause of death.

Police also assured cooperation to the investigations carried out by independent institutions, that include the National Integrity Commission (NIC) and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM).

The authority also extended details of their conduct on Sunday evening after discovering Athuhar hanging in his prison cell. It took the authority 23 minutes to transfer Athuhar from Dhoonidhoo Custodial, where he was held in remand, to IGMH in Male’ City, police added.

Last Thursday, Athuhar had attempted to evade law enforcement authorities by holding his lover hostage with a knife. He threatened to kill the hostage if officers on the scene tried to intervene his escape.

During the commotion, officers had sneaked up to him from behind and used force to neutralize the situation. The video of the incident shared across social media showed an officer using a baton to hit Athuhar on the head to immobilize him. The kidnapper sustained injuries during the scuffle, and was first transferred to ADK Hospital for treatment.

He was later admitted to IGMH Hospital’s observation after Athuhar began vomiting, and was arrested upon discharge. The court ordered Athuhar to be remanded until verdict, and was transferred to Dhoonidhoo Custodial.

Police had taken him to IGMH on Sunday evening after foiling his suicide attempt. He was admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for treatment.