The family of the young woman found injured on the rooftop of a building in Male’ states she has successfully undergone the most high-risk surgery as part of her treatment plan.
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.
She was transferred to Malaysia for further treatment on Saturday night.
Moomin Maumoon, her brother-in-law, who has been granted power of attorney to speak to the media on behalf of Yumnu’s family, via a post on X on Tuesday night, said Yumnu was taken into surgery earlier in the day, at 15:00pm.
According to Moomin, the surgery, which is the most critical and high-risk surgery she will have to face, was to treatment a fragmented fracture in C7, the largest and most inferior cervical vertebra of the spine in the neck region.
Moomin, noting there will not be any more surgeries like this, said if all goes well, Yumnu might be able to sit up in a few days.
Over MVR 700,000 required for Yumnu’s treatment was raised via a TikTok live on Saturday evening. This included MVR 565,505.21 and USD 11,015.95, accounting for MVR 735,367.16 in total.
The TikTok live was hosted by Shehenaz Moosa (Shehey). Funds raised through the fundraiser was deposited to the account of Yumnu’s sister.
Meanwhile, USD 25,000 required for Yumnu’s treatment was arranged by National Social Protection Agency (NSPA).
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.
But before her fall, she had been part of a group of at least nine individuals who were at Ma. Maandhooge Dhekunuge- for a party, where they are believed to have possibly consumed drugs and alcohol.
There soon emerged allegations of a police coverup after it became known that the individuals involved have family links to influential figures, including a cabinet minister and a diplomat. The police only named Yumnu, and did not name the other persons of interest in the case until six days later.
The case of Yumnu, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and she was rescued, has sparked serial protests in Male’. The protestors, a vast majority of them young men and women, have been demanding justice for her, and the resignation of top government and police officials over the alleged coverup.
They have also demanded a free and fair investigation into the case, including the arrest and prosecution of everyone who had been with her before her fall, and an inquiry into police conduct in the case.