The Criminal Court has ordered the remand of a child rape suspect, until a verdict is reached.

Anees Hilmee, 38 and native to Baarah island in Haa Alif atoll, was arrested on June 12 under allegations of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl inside a guesthouse in the capital city.

The order was issued on Saturday and comes following a request by the Commissioner of Police, Mohamed Hameed to detain the accused child rapist under article 30 of the Special Provisions Act to Deal with Child Sex Abuse Offenders, which states that “the Commissioner of Police may request the Prosecutor General to submit to court to obtain an order to detain a person under suspicion of committing an offence prescribed under this law into custody during investigation and trial stages, where the police feel the need to invoke the special procedures set out under this act.”

The article also states that when such a request is “signed, and made in writing by the Commissioner of Police to the Prosecutor General, the Prosecutor General shall review the request as per his guidelines, following which, he shall submit the request to court to obtain the order, as soon as practicable.”

Following this, the Criminal Court issued the order during a remand hearing on Saturday.

For the first time in five years, CP Hameed requested from the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) to issue such an order, a day after the arrest was made.

As the case is being probed, police earlier revealed that such cases involving children will be probed as serious cases.

Further, police have also implemented the required measures in cooperation with relevant authorities, to ensure the safety of the victim. The child was taken into a safe environment.