The High Court has granted the police’s request to place tracking units on nine individuals affiliated with four different local street gangs, and place them under the Monitor and Control (Monicon) program.
Police forwarded their requests for Monicon orders on October 10th, which was approved by the Home Minister's advisory committee on monitoring individuals known to be part of a criminal organization or potential threats to public safety on October 1st.
The nine individuals are to appear at the police headquarters in capital city Malé on Thursday to have tracking devices (or ‘tags’) placed on them. Chits informing them of this have already been sent out, the police said.
They include three suspected affiliates of local street gang ‘Mas Odi’, two from ‘Petral’, two from ‘Vai Kanmathi’ and two from ‘Kuda Henveiru’.
Those under the program are required to sign in with the ministry daily and must inform the Home Ministry if they are leaving the country.
Those under Monicon orders are also not allowed to leave their homes between the hours of 22:00 and 06:00, neither can they enter locations and regions within the capital city that have been ‘out of bounds’ to them.
Police will also be controlling, and to an extent overseeing, communication made through mobile and telephones and other forms of messaging.
Police had previously revealed that they had requested the ministry to issue Monicon orders against 16 suspected criminals.
