The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has said that they will only investigate the recent brutal cat killings in capital city Malé if a case or complaint is filed with them.

MPS spokesperson Izmia Zahir told RaajjeMV that the matter, which has been covered by local news outlets and heavily discussed on social media, is yet to come to their attention.

Spokesperson Izmia said that the case will be investigated once a formal complaint has been filed, and mentioned that the police have investigated animal cruelty before.

However, local online news website Mihaaru ran an article on Monday which says that the Humane Society of Maldives, a local non-profit organization, had reported the matter to the Malé City Council.

The article further quotes the Malé City Council as having said that there have been an increased number of 'dead cat' sightings in the city. A council official could not be contacted for further comment at the time of publishing. 

The matter surfaced earlier this week as photographs of stray cats having been brutally put to death were posted online, calling for immediate action against it. 

Cruelty and negligence of animals, under the penal code enacted in 2015, is only a class 3 misdemeanor, with a baseline sentence of just a month and few days in prison. The maximum punishment is three months.

Home Minister Imran Abdulla, days ahead of his appointment to the position in late November last year, had shared a letter he received about cruelty to strays.

The letter states that while cruelty towards stray cats has ‘become commonplace’, there are individuals who hassle people feeding and caring for the animals. The writer calls on further discussion to take steps to ensure the safety of strays, ‘and all animals’, that live in the Maldives.

Minister Imran’s tweet translates to, ‘the first letter I received upon returning to work after attaining the little freedom I have; the safety of all living creatures should be guaranteed in an Islamic society, this is of utmost importance and priority in our religion. Their safety must be guaranteed through the system’.