Nine arrested in south Maldives gang rape involving young woman, girls

Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday in the sexual assault of a young woman and underage girls in southern Maldives.

The case, involving the sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman in an island under the jurisdiction of Upper South Police, was reported to the authorities on October 20. The case soon grew bigger as police found evidence pointing to the sexual assault and exploitation of underage girls.

A police spokesperson said on Saturday afternoon that nine suspects, identified only as Maldivian males, have been arrested in the case.

A special investigative team from Male’ has been deployed to the island to investigate this case, added the police.

The police said they were investigating the case as a serious crime.

The Maldives has seen a rise in reported cases of sexual violence. The police investigated 272 cases of sexual assault last year, and have received reports of 221 such cases so far this year.