Jahangir Denies Theft Allegation, Claims He Only Took Raincoat and Fruit

Jahangir Alam, a Bangladeshi national accused of stealing over MVR 400,000 from under a motorcycle seat parked on a Malé City road, has denied the charges, claiming he only took a raincoat and a bag of fruit.

Jahangir was arrested on 14th September on suspicion of stealing MVR 442,750 from the motorcycle. He remains in custody after the Criminal Court extended his detention for the second time.

During the remand extension hearing, the Maldives Police Service presented evidence, including CCTV footage, allegedly showing Jahangir lifting the seat of the motorcycle and removing something. A statement from the owner of the stolen money was also submitted as evidence.

Jahangir, however, argued that he is being framed due to business conflicts and insisted that the footage does not show him taking the money. His legal counsel further stated that Jahangir only took a raincoat from under the motorcycle seat and that the bag his second wife brought inside their home contained bananas and dates.

The court’s order notes that the footage shows Jahangir removing other items in addition to the raincoat, and his behavior during the incident suggested that he may have taken something else. Police also challenged Jahangir's claim about the bag, stating that it was not blue in colour as alleged and that its contents were not bananas.

Despite his denial, the Criminal Court extended Jahangir's remand by an additional five days to allow the investigation to continue.