Police say no evidence yet Azhan was murdered
With a dead body to investigate now, the police assert that they have not come across any evidences that prove that the missing person had been murdered.
By
Aminath Shifleen
A decomposing body found almost two weeks into the search of 27-year old Mohamed Azhan has so far presented no evidence to classify it as a murder, police said on Monday.
Azhan, who lives in Hulhumale phase two, was reported missing a day after he was last seen, on 18 September.
Police have been searching for him since then.
The body of a man suspected to be Azhan was found on Sunday in the wooded area on the other side of Nirolhu Magu in front of the water theme park being developed in Hulhumale.
However, the police had not confirmed if the dead body was Azhan, as the body was highly decomposed.
Amid much public speculation and criticism of negligence in police work in locating the missing person, police issued a statement on Monday evening, giving details into their investigation and their operations in searching for Azhan.
The police statement entails:
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In the early hours on the day of his disappearance, Azhan had boarded a taxi and arrived at a guesthouse in Hulhumale first phase
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He was later seen near Red Bull park
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Police received CCTV footage showing Azhan at Red Bull park on 25 September
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The next day, police searched the skate park area, the water park area and the Red Bull park area for any signs of him
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Police received another CCTV footage on 30 September, which showed Azhan walking down to the beach from the Red Bull Park, and then saw him come back up and heading towards the skate park on the morning of his disappearance
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The police then checked to see if there was any CCTV footage from nearby showing the movement and whereabouts of Azhan, to no avail.
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Police came back to search the skatepark area for a second time, and this time found the dead body
According to the police, the body of a man believed to be Azhan was found in their second search of the area, in the wooded area dense with vegetation on the west side of Nirolhu Magu, in front of the water theme park, an incomplete construction project.
"Based on the information we have so far, it is highly likely that Azhan had died on the day he had gone missing," the police said in their statement, noting the level of decomposition on the body they had found.
Azhan’s phone found
Police also said that Azhan's phone has now been found, but did not say where it was found from. On Sunday evening, right after the recovery of the dead body, police had said they did not find Azhan’s phone with the body.
Although they have a dead body to investigate now, the police assert that they have not come across any evidence that prove that the missing person had been murdered.
Police added that preparations were underway to send the body abroad for further testing on cause of death and other clues that can expose the truth behind the death of Azhan.
