Police Send Case to PGO to Charge Raudh Over Woman’s Fall from Building

The case of Raudh Ahmed Zilal, who was arrested in connection with the suspicious fall of a woman from a building in Male’, has been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office. 

Maldives Police Service confirmed that the case was sent to the PG Office on Saturday, 24 May, with a request to press charges.

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The PG Office has acknowledged receipt of the case and stated that it will decide within 15 days whether to file charges against Raudh.

Raudh was arrested on April 24, six days after the incident, and has remained in remand custody since then. His detention has been extended multiple times by the Criminal Court. However, on May 22, he was unexpectedly released by police despite the court having issued a 20-day remand order on May 20.

According to police, the release was due to procedural issues and was made after consultation with the PG Office. Raudh was re-arrested later the same evening under a new court order.

His release took place just before a scheduled High Court appeal hearing related to his remand. After the release, the appeal was withdrawn.

The Context

On April 18, 2025, a 21-year-old woman was found on the roof of a warehouse in Henveiru, Male’. The police later revealed she fell from the ninth floor of Fentoniya around 4:30 a.m. that morning. She was reported to the police around 7:30 a.m. that morning, after which she had been receiving medical care in Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), until she was sent to Malaysia on April 26 for additional medical treatment.

Public trust in the police has declined in relation to this case, amid accusations of interference in the investigation. Many believe that those involved are the children of individuals in high-ranking positions, and that influence may have been used to obscure the case. 

Raudh, the man the woman had spent her last moments with before her fall, was arrested on April 24. 

Raudh is the younger brother of Daudh Ahmed Zilal, the Under Secretary for Digital Strategy at the President’s Office. Daudh was suspended from his position without pay on Thursday, April 25.

The passports of seven others connected to this case have been seized. They are barred from leaving the country.

The youth held serial protests calling for a fair and transparent investigation into this case for a couple of weeks after the incident.

The political fallout extended to parliament when the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) submitted a no-confidence motion on April 29 against Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen, citing conflicts of interest. Two of the accused were reportedly present at a party held in an apartment within Minister Ameen’s residence on the night of the incident. The motion was quashed by Parliament on May 15.