A man convicted over the theft of a large sum of money through a fraudulently obtained one-time password (OTP) was sentenced to six months and 18 days in jail on Sunday.
The criminal court also ordered 530 hours of community service.
Hassan Riyaz and Aishath Rafa were charged with unauthorized control over the property of another. They were accused of calling a person on May 5, 2022 claiming to be from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), obtaining the victim's email address and Bank of Maldives (BML) internet banking OTP, and transferring MVR 41,000 (USD 2679) to their bank accounts.
According to the prosecution, Riyaz took out MVR 25,000 (USD 1634) from the victim's account and Rafa took MVR 16,000 (USD 1045), both of whom then knowingly withdrew the money from a Bank of Maldives ATM in Kaafu Kaashidhoo island.
After the charge was raised at the criminal court, Riyaz pleaded guilty. His case proceeded to summary judgment.
Riyaz urged the court for a punishment other than a jail sentence. He said he was a taxi driver whose child would suffer if he was imprisoned.
The punishment for the charge of exerting unauthorized control is nine months and 18 days. But the punishment is mitigated if the accused confesses.
Despite Riyaz pleading guilty, he was not eligible for leniency due to a previous conviction of criminal trespassing on October 26, 2021.
However, in consideration of documents submitted in relation to his health, the court decided to change half of the sentence to community service. He was handed a sentence of six months and 18 days in jail along with 530 hours of community service.
Rafa told the court that she thought a friend had transferred money to her account and claimed not to have known that the money was stolen. Her friend had asked her to withdraw salary in cash because the friend's cash card was damaged, Rafa recounted.
At the hearing held to assign legal counsel, Rafa's lawyer asked for the opportunity to negotiate with the prosecution and review the case. As the state did not object, the court decided to proceed with Rafa's case as a separate trial.
