A young man who was apprehended in Male’ last year for reportedly trailing an activist from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on a motorcycle and dousing her with engine oil has been disclosed to have been re-detained by police in a significant heroin trafficking case.

Mariyam 'Mandhy' Zubair, an administrative worker at the MDP office and the mother of South Galolhy MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem, was assaulted with oil by two people who trailed her as she rode her motorcycle home on the morning of March 17, 2025.

The 20-year-old Ahmed Rishmah at Sunlight Villa in GA. Dhaandhoo was apprehended in the matter more than a week later on March 27, 2025. He was initially held for 15 days but received conditional release on April 12, 2025.

The matter at hand concerns 38-year-old Ranjini Jeevananthan from Malaysia, who was detained at the Velana International Airport (VIA) on February 28 with baggage containing 2.2 kilos of heroin. Rishmah, aged 21, was among two Maldivian individuals apprehended regarding the matter.

Rishmah has been held by the police since then and had his detention prolonged for an additional 30 days on Saturday.

If convicted in the case, he could receive a life sentence of 25 years and a fine ranging from MVR 100,000 to MVR 10 million.

When the Criminal Court approved his conditional release in Mandhy’s case, it concluded that despite the evidence presented, the suspicion against him constituted a minor criminal offense, and he had already been in detention for 15 days.

The court referenced Rishmah’s guarantee that he would assist with the police investigation.

The original detention order from the Criminal Court in the case showed that Rishmah had been the motorcycle driver and that he recognized the individual who was in the backseat and splashed oil on Mandhy.

Nonetheless, it remains uncertain whether the authorities apprehended the second individual connected to the assault.