Expat accused of cooking cat meat handed over to Immigration amid police probe

A Bangladeshi worker accused of killing stray cats and cooking its meat to prepare meal parcels for sale in an illegal home-based business, has been handed over to the custody of Maldives Immigration following his arrest.

Arafat Hossain, 32, was detained from Male’ City on Tuesday.

The cause gained public attention following a post on social media the previous day by local NGO, Feline Welfare Organization.

The animal rights group identified Arafat as an undocumented migrant who works at the Valhoamas Market in Male’ City.

It said that he was suspected of “butchering, cooking, eating and selling cat meat.”

Following the post, the Maldives Immigration issued a notice for Arafat to present himself to the agency’s headquarters within five days.

He was taken into police custody from a barber’s shop in Male’ at around 10:32 am Tuesday, following a tip received by Immigration’s Intelligence Department.

A police spokesperson said on Wednesday that he was transferred to the custody of Immigration following his detention.

The spokesperson added that the police investigation into him remains ongoing.

When questioned about the course of action Immigration plans to take against him, a spokesperson from the agency declined to comment, citing that it was an ongoing investigation.

But the spokesperson said the Immigration will make a decision “very soon.”

The cause has sparked public uproar, with many taking to social media to demand that the authorities disclose where Arafat sold the cat meat to, and when.

It has also raised questions regarding the implementation of food safety standards.

The case was reported to the police by the Animal Welfare Ministry. A ministry spokesperson told Sun that the case was brought to the ministry’s attention by a private citizen on Monday morning, and that the ministry subsequently filed a police complaint.

The spokesperson added that the Home Ministry is also keeping a close eye on the case.

The case comes amid a crackdown by Maldives Immigration on illegal migration. The authorities have raided multiple locations in the capital as part of the operation, many of them rundown houses where food items sold at stores and cafes and restaurants are prepared in unhygienic environments.