Man arrested for holding woman hostage at knife-point jailed pending trial’s end

The man arrested from Male’ for taking a woman hostage at knifepoint has been jailed pending the outcome of his trial.

Ahmed Athuhar, 32, was arrested on Thursday night in a high-stakes rescue operation after he held a woman hostage at knife-point and attempted to evade arrest.

A police spokesperson said that Athuhar’s remand hearing was held in his absentia at the Criminal Court on Saturday.

The court ordered for him to be jailed pending the outcome of his trial, said the spokesperson.

Athuhar sustained injuries when the police crept up behind him and hit his head with a baton in order to rescue the victim, who had a knife pressed against her throat.

He was initially treated at the ADK Hospital, and was readmitted to the IGMH on Friday after he began vomiting, in a possible sign of a concussion.

A police spokesperson said that Athuhar was discharged from the IGMH, where he was held in observation, on Saturday morning. He was subsequently taken back into police custody.

The spokesperson later said that medical tests done on Athuhar, including a CT scan, all came back “normal.” He added that Athuhar was also taken to a psychiatrist and a neurologist, who found no issues.

No doctor has recommended that he be treated at the ICU, added the spokesperson.

The police said on Thursday that Athuhar beat the young woman after dragging her inside a house in the Maafannu district of Male’, and also after dragging her out on the street.

When confronted by the police, Athuhar pressed a knife against the woman’s throat and threatened to kill her if they made any move to rescue her.

He later dragged her out of the house where he had been holding her hostage and made her drive a motorbike with a knife pressed against her throat in an attempt to flee.

The police allowed him to leave, but placed motorbikes on the road to block his path. While distracted as the police removed the roadblocks they place, officers came up behind him and hit his head with a baton, and rescued the woman.

According to sources, Athuhar and the victim had been in a live-in relationship. They lived in a rented apartment in the neighborhood. On the night of the incident, the couple argued over his lack of contribution to rent and other expenses. The argument soon escalated into violence.

The young woman was treated for her injuries at the IGMH, and was discharged the same night.