Police say the deceased inmate from Maafushi had not been physically harmed amid allegations from his family that he had been tortured at prison.
Mohamed Jameed, 45, was found collapsed in his cell in Maafushi jail yesterday when prison officials checked his condition when he did not come out of his cell. The inmate was then rushed to Maafushi Health Center where doctors who checked declared that his heart had stopped beating and the inmate passed away half an hour after arriving at the center.
Online users accused the authorities of torturing the inmate after photos of Jameel taken after he died popped up online. The pictures showed signs of physical harm on the body of the deceased.
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Chief Inspector of Police Samah denied reports that the inmate had been physically harmed before his death.
He shared video footage of the inmate hours before his death and he was last seen making any movements around 7:43 in the morning. Prison officers entered his cell around 11:34 to investigate the lack of movement from the inmate.
The Chief Inspector said that the prisoner had passed away when he was rushed to Maafushi Health Center and that Police investigation began from that point on.
He further said upon observation of the inmate's body, foam or vomit was discovered around his nose and mouth. He further said the body showed signs persistent with a body that had been dead for around 4 hours.
He explained that this would account for the discoloring of the inmate's body and the urine on his body and in his cell.
Meanwhile, Minister of Homeland Security Ali Ihusan said authorities decided to do an autopsy of the body after allegations of torture and harm against the inmate and that when the authorities went to pick up the body, his family refused to hand the body as they did not wish to further harm the body.
Minister Ihusan said upon the recommendation of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, authorities decided to respect the family's wishes and not perform an autopsy.
