A group of masked men have entered the Velana International Airport (VIA) and robbed BML employees of a large amount of money before fleeing on a speedboat.

In a message sent to the media, police said the robbers stole a cash briefcase from two BML employees who were entering the new terminal from the old terminal.

It is unclear how much money was inside the briefcase.

The incident was reported to police at 4:45 am. Police said further investigations were underway.

Adhadhu understands that the robbers fled the airport in a speedboat in the jetty. It is unclear which island the boat was headed to. The number of people involved in the robbery is also unclear.

BML staff usually take cash to the VIA in briefcases for the ATMs and the bank's cash registers at the airport. It is not clear whether the briefcases contained Maldivian Rufiyaa or US Dollars.

This is believed to be a pre-planned heist. This is the second such incident in recent days.

Earlier, police discovered that 13 million cigarettes in two containers were stolen from the Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) harbor in Hulhumale'.