Police say they have launched an investigation into a case where a tourist was allegedly raped on a safari in the Maldives.
This comes after a screenshot from an expatriate online group was circulated on social media in which the user shares an encounter with a white woman in Hulhumale' who was seen running and seemed on the verge of hysteria.
The user recounts how the tourist barely spoke English but shared that she had been raped on a safari. According to the online user, the woman had allegedly been drugged and when she came about there were five men present with her on the vessel.
The victim described that she woke up naked and with signs of assault and the user mentions that her friend saw bruises on the victim. The victim further shared that the men had robbed her and threatened to throw her overboard.
The victim did not specify whether her assailants were local or not but according to the online user, the victim had refused to make a police report and asked why the police would help a tourist like her.
When the police were asked about this incident, they said that no such crime has been reported so far but since such a report has come to their attention they are now actively investigating the incident.
Back in 2020, a foreigner was allegedly raped on a safari docked in Hulhumale' lagoon by some locals and the incident was reported to the police. Police initially arrested two individuals from the scene of the crime including the husband of a sitting MP but later released the two citing a lack of evidence.
The victim of the incident also departed Maldives and the case which triggered nationwide outrage was quietly swept under the rug.
