The family of a young woman who was found injured on a rooftop of building in Male’ on April 18 denied claims made by police in a recent press statement on Saturday, alleging that the police never made a formal request seeking her statement.
21-year-old Mariyam Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Henveiru district of the Maldivian capital at around 07:30 am on April 18. According to the police, their investigation uncovered that she fell from a skylight in the ninth-floor stairwell of the adjacent building, H. Fentenoy, but that there was no evidence of foul play – a claim that, according to her family, Yumnu disputes.
Before her fall, Yumnu had been part of a group of at least eight other individuals who were at Ma. Maandhooge Dhekunuge – the family residence of Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen - for a party, where they are believed to have possibly consumed drugs and alcohol.
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 in 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.
The eight people who were with Mariyam Yumnu before she fell from a building in Male' on April 18, 2025.
Yumnu, who sustained serious injuries in the fall including multiple fractures, was flown to a hospital in Malaysia on April 26.
In a statement on Thursday, police said that two officers, one of them a medical officer, had been operating in Kuala Lumpur since the day of her arrival. The police said that Yumnu’s family were being uncooperative, and that multiple attempts to communicate had failed. The police also said that the family had refused to share any information regarding Yumnu’s medical condition, and had failed to inform them when she switched hospitals in Malaysia.
The police said they had decided to seek the assistance of Malaysian authorities to interview Yumnu.
But on Saturday, Yumnu’s sister, Aishath Nahida Ahmed sent a letter on behalf of the family addressed to acting police chief, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ismail Naveen, in which she accused the police of misleading the public.
In the letter, the family accused the police of deliberately propagating false information regarding the case, and said they believe the police were trying to pervert the course of justice when they said they had no evidence of foul play in Yumnu’s fall, without conducting an adequate investigation.
The family said that while they have no confidence in a fair investigation given how the police acted during the most critical stage of the investigation, they have abided by the laws and regulations of the Maldives and will not and have not obstructed the police investigation into the case.
The family also said the police have not made any formal request seeking Yumnu’s statement, and will cooperate as soon as they receive a formal request.
Youths protest for a fourth straight night demanding justice for Mariyam Yumnu on April 26, 2025. (Sun Photo/Naaish Nahid)
The family said that the police statement came after Chief Inspector of Police Dr. Hassan Umar held a one-and-a-half-hour meeting with family members in Malaysia.
They also said the police had not made a formal request seeking Yumnu’s medical information, and that official letters from doctors alone prove Yumnu is not in a state to be interviewed by the police.
“The biggest priority of this family at this time is ensure she receives the medical treatment she needs and to ensure she gets justice. This family will provide necessary cooperation to the police in this in accordance with laws and regulations,” said the family.
The family asked the police to “refrain from misconstruing facts”.
In a message to the media after sharing the family’s statement, Yumnu’s brother-in-law Moomin Maumoon reiterated that the police never made a formal request to interview Yumnu, and that Umair had always called the family and told them that they “want to personally meet us, and also wants to meet Yumnu”.
According to Moomin, the family had repeatedly asked the police to make a formal request.
The case of Yumnu, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and alerted the authorities, sparked serial protests in Male’.
On April 24, the police arrested Raudh, who had been with Yumnu in the last moments before her fall, for lack of cooperation. He was released and then re-arrested on April 22, a decision that the police said was to “complete some procedural matters.”
Raudh Ahmed Zilal smiles as he is taken back to Dhoonidhoo Custodial Jail on April 29, 2025. (Photo/Social media)
The court order issued on April 25 for Raudh’s initial remand extension shows investigators believe Yumnu and Raudh had argued before she fell – something the police hadn’t mentioned in two press briefings held in the wake of the incident.
It also says that when questioned shortly after Yumnu’s fall, Raudh had responded with “I don’t know where she is” and “I think she fell.”
Subsequent remand hearings were held behind closed doors at the request of the police.
In a TV interview earlier in May, a family member said that Yumnu had told them that she did not jump from the building but was pushed. She also told her family that she was familiar with Fentenoy, and was invited to visit the residence by Yassar. She also said that there were four other people there with Raudh and herself.
The case is now the subject of an inquiry by a five-member presidential commission, which said it questioned Raudh on May 12. However, the commission did not say if Raudh cooperated.