Despite the discovery of a bullet in the luggage of a passenger who checked in at the Kulhudhuffushi airport to fly to Malé on Friday evening, no arrests have been made 48 hours after the incident.
The incident is under investigation and no suspects have been arrested, a police media official told Adhadhu. The police could not provide information about the bullet as the investigation was being conducted jointly with the military, the official said.
The item found in the passenger's luggage is still considered to be a bullet, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) said, declining to provide further information as the investigation was ongoing.
Some people claimed on social media that it was not a real bullet but a bullet-shaped key chain.
The Aviation Command normally stops and searches passengers over key chains and toys that are not real weapons.
People who traveled with weapons were arrested in the past. But despite the confirmation that it was a real bullet and the ongoing investigation, no arrests have been made on this occasion.
A Namibian tourist was deported in 2021 after a bullet was discovered in his luggage as he sought to depart from the Velana International Airport (VIA).
A Maldivian was arrested and charged with a serious offense after a blank bullet was found on his person. The bullet was found in 2008 when Ahmed Aflaah from Raa Alifushi went to the airport to fly overseas. He was charged with possession of a weapon of war.
Aflaah said he found the bullet during a trip to Kaafu Kuda Villingili after military exercises on the island.
In 2016, four people were arrested during a drug operation in Raa Dhuvaafaru after the discovery of a bullet of the type used in military training.
