Four-year-old girl stabbed to death on northern island

A four-year-old girl was stabbed to death last night on the northern island of Noomaraa in Shaviyani atoll.

Ahmed Vishan, Noomaraa island council president, told The Maldives Independent that the child’s grandfather found her body after dawn prayers and called the council.

“She was stabbed in the neck and shoulder joints. The mother was also sitting in the room awake at the time,” he said.

A knife covered in blood was found in a cupboard in the room, he added.

Vishan said the mother of the child suffers from mental illness.

“The murder was reported at around 5:35am by the child’s grandfather. Police from Shaviyani Fonadhoo arrived here at around 6:30am and they have closed off the area for investigation,” he said.

According to local media, the girl’s father is away for work on another island. The couple has two other children, a Noomaraa resident told CNM. One child lives in Funadhoo while the other is under the case of an aunt in Noomaraa.

A police media official said that no arrests have been so far. Updates on the investigation will be provided to the media later today, he said.

Police forensic experts and a team from the family and child service centre in Haa Dhaal atoll have been dispatched to the island.

In January 2015, the Maldives was shocked by the brutal murder of a three-year-old boy on the island of Rakeedhoo in Vaavu atoll.

Mohamed Ibthihaal was found dead with signs of severe physical abuse. The boy’s mother has since confessed to the murder.

In April last year, Chief Inspector of Police Abdulla Satheeh said inter-generational violence and state negligence led to Ibthihaal’s death.