Another arrest made in airport dollar robbery

Police have arrested another suspect in connection with the robbery of a suitcase containing US dollars at Velana International Airport (VIA), bringing the total number of arrests to eight.

Ismail Siruhan, 30, of Mizan, Raa atoll Maduvvari, was arrested on Tuesday under a court order, a police media official said. He was brought before the Criminal Court and remanded in custody for 30 days.

According to the court’s remand order, police submitted call records, chat logs, video footage and reports from crime scene officers, which the court said provided sufficient grounds to charge him.

Seven other suspects have already been arrested in connection with the robbery.

The incident occurred on 27 October, when a suitcase containing USD 130,000 was seized from Bank of Maldives (BML) employees inside the new terminal at VIA. The money was intended to be issued at a counter in the new terminal.

Police said two masked men threatened the BML employees and robbed the suitcase from a walkway connecting the old terminal to the new terminal.

Those previously arrested in the case are:

When contacted by Mihaaru News, police said there were no further updates. However, sources said that none of the stolen money has been recovered so far.