Maldives Police Service (MPS) has stated that the laptops stolen from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) have been recovered.
In a message sent to media at around 09:43pm on Monday, the police institution confirmed that the theft of five laptops from HDC was reported to authorities on Monday and that they were investigating the matter.
Police spokesperson ACP Ahmed Shifan said that the case of the missing laptops was reported by HDC and that the five laptops were from HDC's project office in Farukolhufushi. Shifan highlighted that the suspect in the case was arrested in connection with a drug-related matter.
After revealing on Monday night that the suspect was cooperating with the police, Shifan said shortly after that the five laptops have since been recovered.
The police disclosed the theft of laptops from the company on Monday, at a time an investigation is ongoing into a case of illegal allocation of land plots by HDC.
MPS is currently probing the case of illegal allocation of plots in Hulhumalé.
Documents have revealed that the plots were allocated under the false pretense of being part of the 'Binveriyaa' scheme. Records indicate that HDC supplied forged documents for the illegal allocation of these plots.
Among those who illegally received plots is Mohamed Fazeel Rasheed, the brother of HDC's former Managing Director Ibrahim Fazul Rasheed. It has been revealed that efforts were made to secure a plot for him under the Binveriyaa scheme, even though the list published by the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development shows that Fazeel does not qualify for a plot under the Binveriyaa scheme.
It has been confirmed that HDC forged government land registry documents in the name of the former Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure during the incumbent administration’s first year in office.
With the exposure of the case of illegal allocation of plots in Hulhumalé to ineligible individuals under the Binveriyaa scheme, several instances of theft, embezzlement, and fraud within HDC have been coming to light.
