The trial of 65-year-old Abdul Rahman Adam, who was viciously murdered in AA. Maalhos has restarted with a new judge.

Abdul Rahman, 65, Orchidmaage, AA. Maalhos was taken urgently to the island health center at approximately 1:50am on July 13 after being discovered with wounds in his bedroom. Police reported that he sustained “serious injuries” while sleeping in his residence and passed away a few hours later at the health facility. A postmortem revealed that he passed away due to head trauma.

On August 21, three youths from Maalhos were apprehended regarding the incident. They include:

- Mohamed Wisam, 23, Lillyfehi, AA. Maalhos

- Ahmed Faris, 28, Finivaage, AA. Maalhos

- Ahmed Ashid, 28, Fiya, AA. Maalhos

Ashid faces charges of deliberate homicide with a hazardous weapon in violation of the Prohibition of Intimidation and Possession of Dangerous Weapons and Sharp Objects Act. Wisam and Faris have been accused of engaging in an act of deliberate murder using a lethal weapon under the same Act.

During Monday's hearing, the new judge updated the parties on the developments of the case. The prosecution has challenged the earlier judge’s ruling to resume proceedings from the preliminary phase.

Prosecutors claim that the three defendants broke into Abdul Rahman’s residence and hit him on the head while he was sleeping. The defence has asked for the DNA analysis concerning the case, but the report is not yet available.

The three defendants are not recognized to have had any conflicts with Abdul Rahman. His family had stated earlier that the men were amicable during their encounter on the island. A resident informed earlier that all three were responsible young people working in government positions. Wisam had been working as a Youth Associate, a political position appointed by the President. Faris was employed at the STELCO office in Maalhos, whereas Ashid worked for the Road Development Corporation (RDC).

Ashid was in Maalhos during the murder, although he was detained in Male', where he lives. According to sources, none of the three individuals had previous criminal records. Islanders have asserted that Abdul Rahman was charged with witchcraft, but his family refutes the claim.