Pakistani chef convicted of murder in Hulhumalé restaurant stabbing

The Criminal Court has found Pakistani national Muhammad Abid guilty of murdering a Bangladeshi waiter during a stabbing at a restaurant in Hulhumalé in 2022.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday.

Abid had been charged with intentional murder using a sharp object following the fatal incident during Ramadan in 2022. He denied the charge, telling the court that he did not realise he was holding a knife and had acted in self-defence after the victim, MD Shameem, initiated the confrontation.

Delivering the verdict, Judge Ahmed Shafieu said the evidence established that Abid attacked Shameem with intent and that the injuries inflicted were sufficient to cause death.

The judge referred to the testimony of the doctor who examined the victim and prepared the post-mortem report, which stated that the injuries to Shameem's face and chest were inflicted in a single motion and that the chest wound caused his death.

The court also heard evidence from expatriate employees who were working at the restaurant at the time of the incident.

According to their testimony, the dispute began after Abid complained that the potatoes chopped by Shameem for a biryani dish were insufficient.

Witnesses told the court that the men were involved in two separate confrontations that day. The first involved a physical fight using only their hands, while during the second, Abid was seen attacking Shameem with a knife.

Following the conviction, the court will obtain statements from Shameem's legal heirs before determining the sentence.

Under Maldivian law, the court seeks the views of the victim's legal heirs to determine whether they request Qisas. A death sentence can only be imposed if all legal heirs unanimously seek that punishment.

The incident occurred on 18 April 2022 at Khanji, a Pakistani restaurant in Hulhumalé.

Police said Abid fled the scene after the stabbing and was arrested later that night while hiding on a beach in Hulhumalé Phase 2.