Court remands fall case suspect Raudh for 10 days

After the initial five-day remand expired, the court granted a further 10 days, a police media official told the Maldives Independent. 

Earlier this week, Raudh was transferred from a detention centre in Malé to the police custodial centre on the island of Dhoonidhoo near the capital. It is unclear if the remand hearing took place online or if he was among the detainees who were brought to Malé and taken to court. 

Raudh’s arrest warrant cited suspicion of his “involvement” in Yumnu’s fall from Henveiru Fentenoy onto the tin roof of the two-storey warehouse next door. CCTV footage released by police showed the pair in the building's stairwell immediately before the fall. The fall itself was not captured as there was no camera on the top floor stairs leading to a terrace. 

The footage showed Raudh searching for her inside and outside the building. But he eventually gave up and went home, according to the police. 

After Yumnu was discovered nearly three hours later and placed on ventilator support with life-threatening injuries, the police questioned Raudh later in the day. Despite his testing positive for cannabis, the police decided not to arrest him. 

Contrary to speculation on social media, Raudh did not push her off the building, police told the press at a closed-door briefing four days later, citing CCTV footage that ostensibly placed him on a lower floor at the estimated time of the fall. The police revealed Yumnu’s name at the midnight briefing but refused to disclose Raudh’s identity.

Raudh’s arrest last Thursday – nearly a week after the incident – followed a large youth-led protest against an alleged police coverup to shield “nepo babies.” Yumnu’s fall came after an alleged drug-fueled party at the home of Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen’s nephews, the police acknowledged despite previous denials of the involvement of any person with political connections. The eight other young people – including a President’s Office undersecretary who was sacked – were all barred from leaving the country. 

But CCTV footage was not available from Ameen’s home as the owners claimed the security camera was broken, police told the media on Monday. The police did “everything possible, and found that the footage does not exist.”

Nearly two weeks after the incident, questions over the possibility of a fall from the narrow staircase window have persisted, prompting parallel investigations by Maldivian media. 

Dhauru analysed footage from nearby buildings, found witnesses who heard a loud bang and attempted to line up mismatched time stamps. The fall occurred at 4:54am and Raudh was likely with her at the time, Dhauru concluded. Leaves from vines appeared to be disturbed, presumably from the impact of the fall.

After the incident, Raudh went downstairs and asked staff at a catering service for an iPhone charger.

Adhadhu spoke to two Maldivian men whom Raudh approached, asking for help to charge his phone. Raudh told both men that "his friend had fallen from a building" and specifically stated that "he saw his friend falling."