Dhiffushi unrest under control: police

Unrest on Dhiffushi island in Kaafu atoll has been brought under control, police have said, after two nights of violence left six men injured.  

Two men were stabbed and one was beaten for information during violence provoked by a recent string of robberies on the island.

A special squad was dispatched to the island near the capital Malé on Thursday after fights broke out the previous night, a police spokeswoman told Maldives Independent.

“We arrested one man for assault with a sharp object. The situation in Dhiffushi is now under control,” she said.

The 32-year-old man was arrested with a warrant from the island’s magistrate court. The judge has since remanded the suspect for 10 days.

The violence erupted Wednesday night when a group of islanders formed a vigilante mob to catch an alleged thief who stole MVR180,000 (US$11,650) from a shop. Five men were injured when the suspect confronted the group with a knife. 

On Thursday night, islanders reportedly caught an alleged robber and beat him for information. The safe stolen from the shop was found buried underground. But the money was missing.

The suspect was brought to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé for treatment of serious injuries.