Serial Offender Ahmed Fairish Escapes NDA Rehab Facility
Ahmed Fairish was taken into custody following widespread public outcry over unaddressed anti-social behaviour – Photo: CCTV Footage Screenshot, Mohamed Saeed
A 43-year-old man arrested following an 18-month pattern of public disturbance in a Malé neighbourhood has escaped from the National Drug Agency (NDA) rehabilitation centre in Himmafushi, police confirmed today.
The suspect, identified as Ahmed Fairish of Noovil, HA. Hoarafushi, had been transferred to the facility under police supervision for mandatory treatment before fleeing custody yesturday afternoon.
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“Fairish was transferred under police custody to the NDA centre in Himmafushi for treatment. Police received information that he escaped this afternoon while under the supervision of the facility,” authorities stated in a message to the media.
Police confirmed that Fairish remains at large and that active search operations are underway to locate and return him to custody.
Fairish’s re-arrest on October 17 drew widespread public attention after local resident Mohamed Saeed staged a 35-hour hunger strike outside the Henveiru Police Station to protest prolonged state inaction over the suspect’s escalating harassment.
Residents living along Kashimaa Hingun and Dhoohimeri Magu had reported enduring relentless disruptions, including Fairish hurling rubbish, used motor oil, and plastic bottles from his balcony at pedestrians, shouting throughout the night, and trespassing into private apartment buildings. Earlier this year, Fairish also served 15 days in remand over death threats.
Saeed had documented the harassment over an 18-month period, submitting extensive video evidence to the Maldives Police Service, the National Drug Agency, the Home for People with Special Needs (HPSN), and the Prosecutor General’s Office. Saeed noted that state institutions had cited jurisdictional, clinical, and evidentiary limits that stalled meaningful intervention.
The standoff ended only after Minister of Homeland Security Ali Ihusan intervened with personal assurances, and the Criminal Court subsequently ordered a 15-day custodial remand from October 18 to November 2, ruling that Fairish posed a significant danger to public safety.
His escape from the NDA facility less than 24 hours before his initial judicial remand was set to expire has renewed concerns over inter-agency coordination and security protocols governing custody transfers between law enforcement and state rehabilitation institutions.
