The owner of the popular "Salon by Riz," Rajani Shrestha, has been deported from the Maldives for illegally operating a beauty salon.

Shrestha, who adopted the name Aishath Rizqin after converting to Islam in 2020, had been running her salon business at a large scale within the country.

However, during a special inspection conducted by Maldives Immigration on August 11th, authorities discovered that she was operating her business outside the scope of her visa.

Maldives Immigration announced on Saturday that the inspection was triggered by a report submitted through their "Immigration Watch" online portal.

The inspection revealed that, in addition to Shrestha's visa violations, all four expatriate employees working at her salon lacked the necessary visa documents.

As a result, Shrestha and her staff were taken into custody and deported on August 13th, with no permission to return to the Maldives.

Shrestha, who first arrived in the Maldives in 2016, had opened a second outlet of her salon brand earlier in 2024.

Alongside her business ventures, she was known for her humanitarian efforts, particularly her work with orphans, and was recognized as a social media influencer within the local community.

Immigration also announced today that Suzu Beauty Salon owner Shushmita Dhaugoda has also been deported on 20th of this month.

This deportation is part of a broader crackdown by Maldives Immigration on illegal businesses and expatriates operating without proper documentation.

The authority recently launched an online portal for reporting such cases, which operates 24/7, known as Immigration Watch accessible on Immigration website.