3 charged over blackmail, robbery of men

Prosecutor General’s Office (PG) has formally charged three individuals in connection with a series of crimes involving the blackmail and robbery of men.

The case, which came to light following an incident in July, involved a man being lured to a residence, stripped naked, threatened with a knife, and forced to hand over money.

The PG confirmed that two men and a woman were arrested on September 9 in connection with the incident. Formal charges were filed in the Criminal Court on September 23.

The central crime in this case occurred on July 24, when a man was taken to a house in Ma. Masfan, a residence in the capital city.

According to reports, the man was stripped of his clothing and subjected to physical and psychological torture. He was threatened with a knife, and his bank card was forcibly obtained. The suspects transferred money from his bank account and seized his cash card, which was later used to withdraw funds from an ATM.

The three accused have been identified as:

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, three charges have been filed against them:

Among the accused, Aishath and Reehan are reported to be from the same household.

This case is part of a larger investigation by the authorities into a spate of robberies targeting men in various locations. In a related development, police have sought the PG's approval to file charges against two additional individuals—a man and a woman—accused of similar crimes. These individuals allegedly robbed a man at a guesthouse in Male’.

Investigations have revealed that these crimes are not isolated incidents. In several cases, men were lured to apartments, often under the guise of shelter flats, where they were then robbed. The suspects, both male and female, employed similar tactics of intimidation and blackmail to extract money from their victims.