Police seek help from Malay police after unsuccessful attempts to obtain Yumnu’s statement

Maldives Police Service, citing lack of cooperation from the family of the young woman found injured on the rooftop of a building in Male’ in taking her statement, has announced their decision to seek assistance from Malaysian law enforcement, where she is undergoing medical treatment, to obtain her statement.

21-year-old Mariyam Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Henveiru district at around 07:30 am on April 18.

Yumnu sustained serious injuries from the fall. She was initially treated at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH)’s Intensive Care Unit before she was airlifted to Malaysia for further treatment on April 26^th.

Police, on Thursday, said two officers have been active in Malaysia from the day she was airlifted to the country, one of which, is a medical doctor.

Nevertheless, Police stressed lack of cooperation from Yumnu’s family to date despite efforts to communicate with them. Moreover, the Police stressed that the family had not shared any updates regarding Yumnu’s health with the authority, nor were they informed when the hospital she was being treated in Malaysia was switched.

Police said their investigative team had been working all this while with the hope of cooperation from Yumnu’s family.  However, as this has not happened, the Police said they are now working alongside Malaysian police to obtain information required for the investigation in accordance with the laws and regulations of the country.

According to the police, their investigation uncovered that she fell from a skylight on the ninth-floor stairwell of the adjacent building, H. Fentenoy, but that there was no evidence of foul play.

However, her family, citing Yumnu, said she did not fall from Fentenoy’s ninth-floor skylight and that there were four additional people with her at Fentenoy, including Raudh Ahmed Zilal, 21, who the Police claimed was the only person with her at the time of her fall.

According to Yumnu’s sister, Yumnu has said her fall was something done to her by “some other people”.

Raudh, who was arrested for failing to cooperate with the Police on April 24^th, has been released from custody earlier today.

The case of Yumnu, who spent hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and alerted the authorities, had sparked serial protests in Male’ after it became known that the individuals involved have family links to influential figures, including a cabinet minister and a diplomat.

The police had initially refused to name anyone else except for Yumnu.

They have said that both Yumnu and Raudh were heavily intoxicated at the time, and had both tested positive for narcotics. Clips of CCTV footage shared by police show Yumnu appeared to have trouble walking, and even fell down on the ground at one point.

It wasn’t until six days later – on April 24 – that the police finally named eight people who had been with Yumnu in the party as persons of interest: Raudh, 21; Izdhiyaan Mohamed Maumoon, 28; Aishath Layaaly Iqbal, 22; Yoosuf Ahmed Akram, 22; Yoosuf Yassar Abdul Ghafoor, 28; Aminath Junaina Jamsheed, 24; Hussain Hamees Ali, 28; and Ijaz Jaiz, 24.

While the Police are accused of covering up in the case, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has established a presidential commission to conduct an inquiry into the case. The Commission has recently questioned Raudh, while he was still in custody.

Home Minister Ali Ihusan has recently stated that no misconduct by the Police has been identified in the investigation into Yumnu’s fall.