Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the robbery of a cash briefcase from bank staff at the Velana International Airport (VIA).

Home Minister Ali Ihusaan said in a post on X that the four suspects were arrested and a speedboat used for the heist was seized.

The briefcase had more than USD 100,000. Bank of Maldives (BML) staff were carrying it without police security inside VIA.

They were taking the briefcase to the dollar counter at the new terminal.

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

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) harbour in Hulhumale'.