Charges sought against duo involved in Hiyaa extortion case

The police have asked the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) for criminal charges against a man and a woman involved in an incident of extortion that took place at the Hiyaa housing towers in Hulhumale’ Phase II.

A string of robberies took place at the Hiyaa towers in May, where victims were lured to apartments, usually with the promise of sex, and threatened and robbed.

Rimana Moosa, 39, who lived at the Hiyaa towers, and Ahmed Mihad, 44, were arrested in connection to one such case in May. They were accused of holding a man hostage, threatening him with a sharp-edged weapon and extorting money from him. They were detained for 15 days and had their remand extended at least once by the Criminal Court.

Court records show Rimana and Mihad were remanded for another 15 days on August 15 in a robbery case. The case number listed was different, indicating it is a different case.

The Criminal Court extended the duo’s remand by another 30 days on Saturday. The evidence submitted against them includes investigative statements, SOCO reports, snapshots of CCTV footage and bank statements.

The prosecutor told the court that the PGO had approved the case for prosecution.

The court found both suspects had prior arrest records, and there was evidence the crime was pre-planned.