Serial offender arrested for petty theft, previously linked to robbery

A man with a history of arrests, including a previous case where he allegedly posed as an immigration officer to rob a foreigner, has been apprehended again, this time for stealing a chocolate bar from a store.

The individual, identified as Mohamed Naveen of G.Beruge, was initially arrested in September of last year following an incident where a Bangladeshi man was robbed of his phone and MVR 9,000 by someone impersonating an immigration official.

His latest arrest stems from the theft of a chocolate from a shop. Naveen was brought before the Criminal Court on Friday and remanded in custody for 15 days. During the closed session, Naveen claimed he took the chocolate out of the shop to get money from someone outside to pay for it.

Court records indicate a pattern of similar behavior, with Naveen having been arrested in May of last year for a comparable offense. His arrest warrant further notes a lengthy arrest record.

Additionally, Criminal Court records show that a case was filed against Naveen in 2023 for allegedly stealing a motorcycle. However, he denied those charges and was not convicted in that particular case.