The Maldivian government’s ongoing effort to gather biometric data from all expatriates in the country expanded to the Malé area on Monday, resulting in the collection of fingerprints and facial photographs from 1,455 individuals. According to Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan, the data-gathering initiative, carried out from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., targeted private and public locations across the city.
Minister Ihusan announced via social media platform X that officials recorded fingerprints from all ten fingers of each participant, as well as photos for facial recognition. The large-scale campaign—dubbed ‘Operation Kuran’gi’—was launched in May 2024 with the objective of completing this comprehensive data collection by April 2027.
Last year, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu revealed that information had been gathered on 10,000 expatriates as part of the operation. Minister Ihusan later confirmed an additional 15,000 individuals were documented within the following two months, bringing the total to 25,483 expatriates across the Maldives.
Operation Kuran’gi spans 185 islands, and officials report that it has now been completed in 55 locations. As the initiative continues in the greater Malé region, the government aims to establish a more accurate and transparent record of expatriates living in the country. Officials note that this data will help strengthen immigration oversight and ensure the well-being of foreign workers, as well as local communities.
