Gangs have stopped committing crimes and gang members are now trying to live a decent life, President Mohamed Muizzu declared on Monday night.
Speaking at a rally at the Social Centre to mark the second anniversary of his administration, Muizzu said gang members were now doing business.
“I asked the Home Minister the other day how many gangs have been identified. The Home Minister was very happy and said there are no gangs," he said.
"Now, those who used to be in gangs have stopped it, they've stopped committing gang crimes and now they have gone back to normal life to do business and live a decent life... [He said] we can't find any gangs now."
He described it as a major achievement and said harsh laws such as the Gang Act does not intend to punish people, but aims to bring people back into society.
Muizzu warned that cases will be sent to the Prosecutor General's (PG) office and action will be taken under the Gang Act if people commit crimes by forming gangs in the future.
Despite the President's claims about gangs, Deputy Home Minister Mohamed Shaheed appeared on a Sangu TV program and revealed that police had shared gang statistics with the minister.
Shaheed said there are 83 gangs currently operating in the Maldives and 3,600 people identified as gang members. He added that there were 45 gangs operating in the capital Male' alone.
About 2,500 gang members were active in Male' while 85 minors are also known to be involved, he added.
