News Desk
VELANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — The four men accused of robbing two Bank of Maldives (BML) employees at knifepoint early morning yesterday have been arrested and remanded in custody for five days, police confirmed Tuesday.
The suspects — Mazin Moosa, 25, of Laamu Maavah; Ahmed Raihaan Naeem, 20, of Male City; Ibrahim Anoof, 24, and Hussain Shahid, 30, both of Kaafu Guraidhoo — stole MVR 130,000 from BML staff who were transporting money to the dollar counter at the new terminal of Velana International Airport (VIA).
According to investigators, the men arrived at the airport in the early hours of Monday morning, armed with knives and carrying a canister of spray. They reportedly threatened the Aviation Security Command officers on duty, sprayed them in the eyes, and seized the cash before fleeing toward the jetty, where a waiting speed launch whisked them away into the lagoon’s darkness.
The robbery, rare in a country where such incidents seldom reach the terminals of the nation’s busiest gateway, sent a ripple of disbelief through both the public and the banking sector.
Reports say the suspects later travelled to Kaafu Atoll Huraa, where they were found after an island-wide search. Two of the men are known to have relatives living there and had visited the island frequently, a fact investigators believe helped them plan their escape route.
Authorities have not disclosed whether all of the stolen money has been recovered, though sources close to the investigation say part of it may have been hidden before their arrest.
The robbery has sparked questions about airport security procedures and BML’s cash transport protocols. The employees had been moving the funds without police escort — a decision that now appears dangerously naïve.
While the Maldives is no stranger to petty theft, armed robberies of this scale are almost unheard of. The last major case involving an airport occurred years ago and was linked more to smuggling than to outright theft.
For many Maldivians, the case has become a reflection of changing times — a reminder that the image of an idyllic, crime-free paradise is no longer guaranteed.
As the investigation continues, the four suspects remain in custody while police trace how they coordinated their movements and obtained the weapons used in the assault.
For now, the early morning calm of Velana International Airport has been replaced by a heightened sense of vigilance. The walkways once known for quiet pre-dawn routines now carry the echo of an unsettling truth: even in paradise, security can no longer be taken for granted.
