Lawmakers back more powers to police to combat cyber crimes

Members of Parliament have expressed their support for giving special powers to the police and providing special training and incentives in this regard to prevent scams in the Maldives. 

The bill to amend the Transfer of Legal Aid in Criminal Cases Act was debated in Parliament on Tuesday.

Speaking in the debate, Kudahuvadhoo MP Hussain Hameed said the police should be given the power to take immediate action to stop scams.

“We cannot stop such scams unless the police are given the opportunity to take immediate action,” Hameed said.

Hameed said, in order to stop scams:

Hameed noted that millions of Rufiyaa lost in scams have not been recovered.

Speaking on the prevention of scams, Maafannu South MP Abdullah Rifau said the opportunities for prisoners to communicate with the outside world should be restricted or preferably, closed altogether.

"It is clear from the recent raids conducted inside the prison that there is a lot of communication going on from there, that phones are there, and unless these issues are sorted out, this cannot be solved," Rifau said.

Sharing his personal experience with a scam, Rifau said that more needs to be done in promoting awareness in public against scams.

In two major scams that have taken place in the Maldives in the recent past, MVR 2 million has been syphoned off within a short span of time. The cash was syphoned off in a short span of time by withdrawing cash from ATMs across the country and conducting online transactions.