Maldives Police Service (MPS) has revealed that the expatriate arrested over the brutal murder of Ismail 'Isse' Umar has confessed to killing the 54-year-old.

In a statement released on Sunday, MPS said that during the investigation, 27-year-old Bangladeshi citizen, Suman Mia had confessed to killing Umar.

Police said that they have since retrieved the weapon Mia had used to attack Umar, as well as the clothes he had been wearing at the time of the attack.

MPS further said that four other expatriates were arrested in relation to the murder as well, and are suspected of assisting Mia carryout the attack.

Ismail Umar, native to Hinnavaru island of Lhaviyani atoll, was in charge of the ice plant in Ihavandhoo. His lifeless body was found in the plant's ice processing unit, with a number of bruises.

Police in its statement noted their investigation showed that Umar had been attacked with a sharp object.

Noting that the incident was reported to police at around 4:23 pm on Friday, police said that upon initial investigation, they had found blood on both the entrance to the ice plant's offices and accommodation area, which led to an extensive search of the ice plant.