Funadhoo fire, foreign freeholds and rape suspects

The Faiymini petrol shed in Shaviyani Funadhoo caught fire, spreading to nearby buildings and affecting 18 people. Footage on social media shows explosions as onlookers ran to escape. It was reported at 8am and firefighters from the MNDF northern area command in Kulhudhuffushi travelled to Funadhoo to assist airport firefighters who were first on the scene. The fire was extinguished nearly four hours later at 11:58am by MNDF and airport firefighters as well as firefighters from the nearby JW Marriott resort, police, Funadhoo school cadets and island residents.

NDMA said the 18 people affected included a firefighter and a hospital staff member. Five households were affected and 33 people were relocated as a precaution. Police said the fire spread to a nearby motorcycle and engine repair garage, a warehouse, a vehicle parking garage and a residential home, damaging them beyond use. The 16 residents affected include people injured while trying to escape and others who needed medical treatment for distress, police said. The area at the island's harbour has been cordoned off and a special team will travel from Malé to Funadhoo on Monday to process the scene and investigate the cause of the fire, police added.

The cabinet decided in September 2025 to amend the constitution to allow foreigners to own land in designated real estate development zones, Adhadhu reported, citing a copy of the cabinet decision and a draft constitutional amendment confirmed by multiple sources. The proposal, submitted by Housing and Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib, included seven measures: a constitutional amendment, a property ownership law, a real estate development law, a property dispute resolution system, investor residence visas, updates to the property registry and a new property regulatory authority. The draft amendment proposed creating real estate development zones, declared by presidential decree and separate from inhabited islands, where foreigners could own property but would not be eligible for citizenship or political rights. Master developers would need to invest at least US$1 billion, and developments on reclaimed land would require 70 per cent of the land to be newly reclaimed. Implementation of the decision has been stalled after a poor showing in April's council elections and the political fallout from the Aisha documentary, according to Adhadhu.

Police released the mugshots of nine suspects arrested over the alleged gang rape of a 22-year-old woman and allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation on an island in the Upper South police jurisdiction, confirming that the island's magistrate court had remanded all of them for varying periods. Mohamed Salih Ahmed, 26, Mohamed Mishal Ahmed Zuhair, 20, Najumullah Hassan, 35, and Ahmed Nooh Niyaz, 20, were remanded for five days, Mohamed Maisan Shiyaz, 21, for 10 days, Azim Mufeed, 24, for 15 days and Ahmed Saaniju Sodiq, 32, for 30 days, while Ahmed Ifthishaam Zareer, 24, and Ali Huzaam Saeed, 31, were remanded for a total of 90 days. A team from Malé is on the island to investigate the case, police said.

Police arrested three men, Hussain Saamir, 40, Mohamed Reehan, 33, and Ahmed Sujau, 46, over an MVR32,000 (US$2,000) online scam in which money was obtained by deception through WhatsApp. Police said the case was reported on 13 October. The court remanded Saamir and Sujau for 15 days and Reehan for seven days, police said, urging the public not to click unknown links, share OTP codes or disclose personal and banking details.

Police said two 52-year-old expatriate male teachers were arrested in an island in the South Central police jurisdiction in October over separate cases of sexually assaulting students. One was arrested on 14 October, following a report on 11 October, over the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old female student, and was remanded for 15 days. The other was arrested on 23 October, following a report on 17 October, over the alleged sexual assault of two girls aged 12 and 13, and was remanded for 30 days, police said.

Twelve MDP MPs condemned a decision by parliament's public accounts committee to raise allowances for the speaker, ministers and councillors, saying MDP members had no part in it and calling for the decision to be reversed and for priority to be given to matters more important to the public.

President Muizzu opened the Maldives Expo 2026 at Hulhumalé Central Park, where 430 participants are showcasing more than 4,400 products until 2 November. This year’s expo adds districts for small tourism businesses and for products from countries with which the Maldives has or is seeking free trade agreements.