Police begin operation against rise in robberies, muggings

Police on Sunday started a special operation to quell a recent rise in robberies and muggings in the capital Male’.

Under the operation, Police will conduct random searches around Male’, stop and question people on the road after midnight and conduct targeted searches of suspected areas, said the police in a statement on Sunday night.

A recent trend in Male’ is to rob apartments above the ground floor, and the new operation will also focus on preventing such robberies, police said.

Police called for public support in reducing crime in the city and stressed on the importance of properly locking the doors and putting away valuable belongings before going to bed at night.

Police also advised businesses not to store large amounts of money in their offices and to maintain a proper system of safely storing and transporting money.

Maldives Police Service said the joint operation will be conducted by its Central Operations Command, investigation departments, Forensic Directorate, Traffic Police Department and Specialist Operations Department.