A handcuffed corpse with injuries was found in the sea near the island of Fohthela in Vaavu Atoll yesterday, police have said.
Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News today that the body appeared to have been in the water “for a long time” and was found handcuffed.
As the man was not circumcised and based on appearance, complexion and size, said Shiyam, police believed it was a foreigner.
“We believe he might have been killed because of the injuries, and the body is being kept at the mortuary [in the Galolhu cemetery] for investigation,” he said.
A crowd of people gathered outside the Galolhu cemetery around 11pm last night while the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) called for a post-mortem to be conducted.
“We allowed a member from each media to see the body” to clarify rumors, said Shiyam, but added that media members were asked to turn off their phones and cameras.
Newspaper Haveeru reported that severe injuries were visible on the left ankle and the left arm of the corpse.
After allowing journalists into the mortuary to observe the body, police reportedly used pepper spray to disperse the protesters.