Police have removed the controversial statues at the art gallery in Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fenfushi.

The Coralarium, the world's first semi-submerged art installation, drew public condemnation, especially from clerics, after its opening in July over the alleged idols.

Officers arrived at the resort and destroyed the statues on Friday evening.

Earlier on Thursday, the civil court ordered the resort to remove the statues within five hours or have the police remove them.

While Ibrahim Muaz Ali, the spokesperson at the President’s Office, denied that authorities had no knowledge of the project and declared that the statues would be removed, it was later revealed that the government received all information regarding the art gallery prior to its construction.

The Coralarium was designed by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor and was filled with nearly 30 sculptures that were to act as a habitat for coral and other marine species.