Police probe assault after juveniles leave Hoarafushi treatment centre
According to residents, the children left the centre on Tuesday night, assaulted a local man and left him inside an unoccupied house.
Police are investigating an incident in which several children from the Juvenile Residential Treatment Centre in H.A. Hoarafushi allegedly left the facility and assaulted a resident of the island.
According to residents, the children left the centre on Tuesday night, assaulted a local man and left him inside an unoccupied house.
Videos circulating on social media show residents rescuing the injured man from the house before he was taken by ambulance to the island's health centre.
The footage also shows a crowd gathered outside the treatment centre, where residents protested and called for the children to be removed from the island.
Some videos show several of the children standing on the boundary wall of the facility while members of the public gathered outside.
The Maldives Police Service confirmed it is investigating an incident in which a group of children left the facility and assaulted a resident.
The Juvenile Residential Treatment Centre was established to accommodate juvenile offenders and children considered to be at risk, with the aim of providing rehabilitation and supporting their reintegration into society.
The centre was opened last year.
