Police rule out foul play in woman’s rooftop fall

A 21-year-old woman who was found injured on the rooftop of a residence in Henveiru, Malé, was not pushed onto the rooftop, police said Tuesday.

The woman was discovered early Friday morning on the rooftop of a house named Mitazge, located adjacent to a building called Fentonoige. She was placed on a ventilator following the incident but has since been removed from it. Police say her condition is improving, though she remains unable to speak.

Addressing speculation and public concern surrounding the incident, the Maldives Police Service held a press conference at Iskandhar Koshi on Tuesday evening. Chief Inspector Samih Mohamed, head of the Death and Homicide Department, and Chief Superintendent Hassan Shifau of the Major Crime Investigation Wing said the investigation had found no evidence of foul play.

According to police, CCTV footage and other evidence confirm the woman fell by herself from the ninth-floor fanlight of Fentonoige at 4:52 a.m. on Friday. She was with a 21-year-old man at the time. Police said both individuals arrived at the location around 4:30 a.m. and remained there for approximately 30 minutes.

During that time, the two engaged in consensual acts, and police confirmed that there was no force or coercion involved. The apartment belonged to neither party, and they had no prior connection to it.

CCTV footage from surrounding areas reportedly shows the woman entering Fentonoige alone, with the man joining later. The pair moved between floors in the building, attempting to access various locked apartments. At one point, the woman is seen wearing the man’s T-shirt. CCTV footage from the eighth floor records a loud sound, which police identified as the woman’s fall. The man is then seen looking out windows in an attempt to locate her.

The man involved has been identified as Raud Ahmed Zilal, younger brother of Daud Ahmed, Undersecretary for Digital Strategy at the President’s Office. Police stated that prior to the incident, the man and woman had been at a separate gathering at a house in Malé along with six others.

The incident was reported to police at 7:23 a.m. Friday by a member of the public who noticed the woman on the rooftop.

Police said investigations are ongoing, but preliminary findings do not support claims made on social media that the woman was pushed or harmed by another individual.