14-year-old boy remains missing

Police are still searching for a 14-year old boy who disappeared seven days ago.

Shaim Abdulla went missing on June 18 from the Kudakudhinge Hiyaa orphanage in Villimalé.

The police said they had searched three houses in connection with Shaim’s disappearance, to no avail.

“We are also checking CCTV footage to find the missing boy. We request anyone who has information about Shaim to contact us immediately,” a police spokeswoman said.

The Ministry of Gender, which operates the orphanage, did not publicise that Shaim had gone missing and the public only found out when his disappearance was revealed on social media on Sunday.

A part of the court order authorising a search of a residence in connection with Shaim’s disappearance was circulated on Twitter.

The teenager was taken into care to escape “from an environment of crime”, a Gender Ministry spokesperson told the Maldives Independent.

“He was kept in a separate building away from the [other] children at Kudakudhinge Hiyaa. He was there for the duration of his assessment,” he said.

The spokesperson did not reveal when Shaim was taken into care or under what circumstances.