Investigations on the murder of lawyer and writer Ahmed Najeeb have been completed, and the case has been sent to Prosecutor General (PG)’s Office this morning for prosecution.
Ahmed Murrath, 29, of M. Masroora, and his girlfriend Fathimath Hana, 18, of Rihaab, Sh. Goidhoo, have been arrested in relation to Najeeb’s murder.
The case was sent to PG within 48 hours of finding Najeeb’s body in a room in M. Masroora.
The only other case for which investigations were completed at a similar speed was the case on Nazaha, who stabbed her former husband to death.
Sub-Inspector of Police Hassan Haneef said that unlike other similar murder cases, sufficient evidence had been collected on Najeeb’s murder.
“It was possible to conduct a speedy investigation because the necessary evidence could be obtained, and because the two suspects confessed to the crime,” Haneef said.
The Court has extended detention periods for both suspects to 15 days.
Murrath was released from prison under the ‘Second Chance’ program on 18 October 2011. He was serving a sentence of 12 years for a drug-related offence.
Murrath did not fulfill the criteria for release, but was among the 218 inmates released under the ‘Second Change’ program.
Police said that Murrath was high on drugs when he was taken under arrest for Najeeb’s murder.
Najeeb’s body was found in a large dustbin in a room on the second floor of M. Masroora on Sunday evening.
Eye witnesses say that Najeeb’s face had been stabbed beyond recognition.
Supreme Court, Judicial Service Commission, Attorney General’s Office, and several political parties have called to take the harshest possible action against those responsible for killing Najeeb. Calls to implement the death penalty are on the rise. Seven people have been murdered in Maldives so far this year.