In a startling development in the Maldives, Minister Fatima Shamnaz Ali Salim has been arrested by Maldives Police on allegations of practicing black magic on President Muizzu. This unprecedented accusation has brought attention to the practice of black magic in political circles, where Shamnaz, the Minister of Environment, allegedly sought to influence the President for personal gain. In today's DNA, Anant Tyagi analyses the incident in Maldives.


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Minister Fatima Shamnaz Ali Salim in the Maldives Cabinet has been arrested by Maldives Police. Fatima is accused of performing black magic on the President. This means an attempt was made to influence Muizzu, who promotes the religious narrative in his country. 
Shamnaz wanted to carve out a special place for herself in President Muizzu's eyes by performing black magic. By doing all this, Shamnaz intended to obtain a good and big position in the government. Fatima Shamnaz wanted the President to listen to her and act upon her suggestions.



Fatima Shamnaz had considerable influence in the Cabinet... and she often appeared close to Muizzu. Although, Fatima was not happy with the Ministry of Environment. She wanted a bigger position and more power in the Cabinet. And to achieve this, Fatima resorted to black magic on the President.


Police have also arrested Shamnaz's brother and a tantrik on charges of black magic. Both were arrested on June 23. After the arrests, the court has remanded Fatima for 7 days.


There's another angle to this mystery of black magic in the news. It is also said in Maldives that some time ago, Shamnaz leaked a video of Muizzu's wife, showing her dancing and singing in a pub. To retaliate against this, Muizzu's wife and First Lady have implicated Fatima.
In Maldives, black magic is called 'Fanditha' or 'Shihiru'. In 2015, a warning was issued regarding increasing cases of black magic in Maldives. The government then advised people to stay away from it, but despite this, cases of black magic have continued to rise in Maldives.