Abdulla Shahid, the former Maldivian foreign minister and president of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), was jailed for 30 days on Tuesday while the police investigate allegations of sexually assaulting a minor.

Shahid, 64, was apprehended in his apartment in Hulhumale’ at 09:59 pm on Monday. Police report that he is under investigation for alleged sexual assault of a minor.

Shahid, currently in custody at the jail on Dhoonidhoo Island, was taken to Male’ for his remand hearing on Tuesday.

A police spokesperson stated that the court has placed him in police custody for 30 days.

Speculations regarding the accusations of sexual abuse against him and his imminent arrest emerged on social media just before his apprehension.

Just minutes before his arrest on X, Shahid dismissed the claims as unfounded lies driven by political motives intended to tarnish his reputation.

"The rumors circulated for political reasons to tarnish my reputation are unfounded falsehoods." "I call on everyone to refrain from disseminating these baseless accusations," he stated, thirty minutes before his arrest.

Abdulla Shahid is one of the nation's leading politicians, having worked as a diplomat, government official, and legislator for more than forty years. His detention occurs while he is seeking the MDP nomination to run in the 2028 presidential elections and reach the nation's top executive position.

In recent years, the Maldives has experienced an increase in reported incidents of sexual violence. Last year, the police looked into 272 sexual assault cases and have reported receiving 239 such cases this year to date.

Anyone with knowledge of offenses against children is encouraged to contact the Maldives Police Service's Family and Child Protection Department at 3000600 or the helpline 1412.