Five immigration officers, including former Controller General of Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, have been arrested on charges of abusing official power to extort money from foreigners. 

The Maldives Police Service made their profiles public following the arrests. Along with Shamaan (36), those detained are Mohamed Alsan Ismail (21) from Thaa Burunee, Ibrahim Ahmed (37), Hassan Saheshan (47), and Ahmed Lassan (40) from Malé City.

Three officers were arrested on Thursday night, followed by Shamaan on Friday night. Another officer was taken into custody on Sunday night. 

Authorities have also confiscated a phone belonging to a family member of Shamaan and imposed a travel ban on two immigration employees in connection with the case. 

According to the police, the case involves a foreign national who was initially arrested during an immigration operation but later released on Shamaan’s instructions. Following the release, some immigration officers allegedly confronted the individual on the street and extorted a large sum of money. 

The police further stated that the extorted money was taken to Shamaan’s residence. During a subsequent search of his home, officers reportedly found approximately MVR 500,000.