News Desk
Male’ — After six days of growing public anger, police arrested Raud Ahmed Zilal on Wednesday, April 24, in connection with a young woman’s near-fatal fall from a ninth-floor window that left her in critical condition. The delay in detaining the 21-year-old, whose connections to government officials have fueled accusations of privilege, has deepened distrust in the Maldives’ justice system.
Raud was arrested at 6:20 p.m. following a court-issued warrant. Authorities released CCTV footage to counter criticism of their slow response, showing Raud and Hawa Yumnu Rasheed, also 21, staggering through a Buruzu Magu residential building, visibly intoxicated, in the early hours of April 18, hours before her devastating plunge.
The case is steeped in high-profile ties. Raud is the brother of Daud Ahmed, a President’s Office aide suspended without pay today over alleged links to the incident. The building where the initial party took place belongs to the Transport Minister and his family.
Authorities say Raud tested positive for cannabis and was seen engaging in sexual activity with Hawa on the building’s stairwell. His phone and passport are now in police hands, and he’s barred from leaving the country as forensic teams examine the scene. Yet the question lingers: why did it take six days to arrest him, especially when footage shows him searching for Hawa after her fall—before leaving without alerting anyone?
Drugs, Denials, and the Ninth-Floor Fall: A Dark Night in Malé
