Police: Yumnu’s health has prevented obtaining her statement

Maldives Police Service, on Friday, emphasizing their wishes to obtain statement from the young woman found injured on the rooftop of a building in Male’, states they have been unsuccessful in their efforts due to her health condition.

21-year-old Mariyam Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Henveiru district at around 07:30 am on April 18.

According to the police, their investigation uncovered that she fell from a skylight on the ninth-floor stairwell of the adjacent building, H. Fentenoy, but that there was no evidence of foul play.

However, her family, in a public interview on Thursday night, citing Yumnu, said she she did not fall from Fentenoy’s ninth-floor skylight and that there were four additional people with her at Fentenoy including Raudh Ahmed Zilal, 21, who the Police claimed was the only person with her at the time of her fall.

According to Yumnu’s sister, Yumnu has said her fall was something done to her by “some other people”.

Amid heavy criticism following the interview, Police, on Friday, said the authority, since the first day, has undertaken efforts to obtain a statement from Yumnu as they believe her words would be crucial to the investigation.

“Because of the health condition of the woman, alongside other reasons, we have not yet had the opportunity to question her. However, we wish to question her for the investigation as soon as it is possible,” the Police said.

Police, citing the investigation into the case is still ongoing, said they are still questioning persons of interest and verifying whether information provided by the individuals are legitimate.

Speaking during Thursday’s interview, her sister said Yumnu has shared “crucial information” regarding the incident with the family.

The most important revealed by her sister, was Yumnu saying she did not fall from Fentenoy’s ninth-floor skylight.

“Yumnu, from her own mouth, said she did no such thing on her own. That she did not fall from that place on her,” her sister said.

Police has stated that neither Raudh nor Yumnu had links to Fentenoy – a claim which owners of the house whole previously spoke to Sun also reiterated.

However, Yumnu’s sister said Yumnu explained she had previously visited Fentenoy, adding on the night of her fall, she had visited the house at the invitation of Yoosuf Yassar Abdul Ghafoor, 28; an individual identified the police as a person of interest in the case.

“The location of the house was sent by Yassar. (She) went to the house at Yassar’s invitation too,” her sister said.

Yumnu’s sister further said Yumnu has questioned whether she will receive justice.

Yumnu’s family suspects the Police of lying. For her family, the biggest issue in this case, is the fact that a group of her people had left Yumnu on the roof to die.

“It is them that will know how long she was left on that roof to die. It is them who left her there to die,” she said.

The family expressed their strong desire to hold these individuals culpable.

The case of Yumnu, who spent hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and alerted the authorities, has sparked serial protests in Male’ after it became known that the individuals involved have family links to influential figures, including a cabinet minister and a diplomat.

The police had initially refused to name anyone else except for Yumnu. It wasn’t until six days later – on April 24 – that the police finally named eight people who had been with Yumnu at the party as persons of interest. Raudh Ahmed Zilal, 21; Izdhiyaan Mohamed Maumoon, 28; Aishath Layaaly Iqbal, 22; Yoosuf Ahmed Akram, 22; Yoosuf Yassar Abdul Ghafoor, 28; Aminath Junaina Jamsheed, 24; Hussain Hamees Ali, 28; and Ijaz Jaiz, 24.

Meanwhile, the house where the group held the “party” was confirmed as the family residence of Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen, who admitted that two of his nephews were among the group of individuals involved, but denied he knew anything about what he described as the “gathering.”

The police have said that both Yumnu and Raudh were heavily intoxicated at the time, and had both tested positive for narcotics. Clips of CCTV footage shared by police show Yumnu appeared to have trouble walking, and even fell down on the ground at one point.

Raudh has been arrested for not cooperating with the investigation on April 24th. He was initially remanded in custody for five days, which was later extended by 10 days on April 30th. 

While the Police are accused of covering up in the case, mounting public pressure saw then-Commissioner of Police Ali Shujau resign. The Head of Death and Homicide Investigation Unit, Chief Inspector Mohamed Samih has also been dismissed from the post.