More arrests as police recover MVR14m stolen from Villigili bank

Four more suspects have been arrested after police recovered MVR14 million (US$908,000) stolen from the Bank of Maldives branch in Gaaf Alif Villigili island.

A Bangladeshi man and three local men were taken into custody Tuesday with arrest warrants, police informed the media.

Earlier on Tuesday, the island’s magistrate court extended the detention of seven men arrested the previous day. Five suspects were remanded for 15 days and two suspects to seven days in police custody.

Police declined to reveal the identities of the suspects.

The stolen money was recovered along with a gas cutter believed to have been used in the heist. The money was found inside a washing machine at an abandoned house.

The national bank’s branch on the southern island ceased operations after the robbery was discovered early Monday morning. The robbers reportedly broke in through the roof and destroyed safes.

According to some media reports, the suspects include men from two families and a Sri Lankan national who was working at a workshop on the island.