Notorious gangster arrested over Rilwan’s abduction

The owner of a car suspected to have been used in the abduction of The Maldives Independent journalist Ahmed Rilwan was arrested Tuesday.

A credible source has confirmed that Aalif Rauf, 29 years, was arrested from Malé, days after police revealed that DNA samples from hairs lifted from the trunk of the Kuda Henveiru gang member’s red car matched that of Rilwan’s mother’s DNA.

The car was illegally transported to the suburb island Hulhumalé – where Rilwan was living – a week before the abduction and brought back to Malé in mid August that year.

Soon after Rilwan’s disappearance was reported, his neighbors said they had witnessed a man being forced into a car at knifepoint abduction outside their apartment building on August 8.