Security forces raid Maafushi Prison in crackdown on scam calls

The security forces launched a raid on Maafushi Prison on Tuesday night, in a crackdown on crimes including a rise in scam calls made using mobile phones smuggled into the prison.

In a tweet early Wednesday, Maldives Police Service said they launched the raid in response to a request from Maldives Correctional Service for a search operation, following information they received of crimes taking place inside the prison, including scams and promotion of terrorism using contraband.

The raid is a joint operation by the Maldives Police Service, Maldives National Defense Force, and Maldives Correctional Service.

Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed recently said that close to 1,000 scam complaints have been lodged so far this year, resulting in MVR 23 million in financial losses.

And according to Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu, jammers installed at the prison to stop scam calls by inmates proved to be ineffective.

He stressed the need for additional resources and legislative changes to tackle the issue.

The Attorney General’s Office has drafted key legislative changes to criminalize cybercrime, and establish policies for investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes.

The drafts were sent to the President’s Office for review in late November.

Meanwhile, Maldives has also changed policies on issuance of SIM cards to tackle the issue.