An officer of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has been arrested for the rape of a 14-year-old girl in the capital city, Male'.

The spokesperson for the Maldives Police Service (MPS), Chief Inspector of Police, Izmia Zahir, revealed that a 36-year-old Maldivian man was arrested on Wednesday around 06:30 pm for the sexual assault, blackmail and rape of a 14-year-old girl. While Izmia did not confirm whether he was an MNDF officer or not, sources state that the 36-year-old man is an officer of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

As such, spokesperson for MNDF, Major Ibrahim Azim confirmed that MPS has officially informed the authority regarding the arrest of an MNDF officer but he did not verify whether the officer was arrested for rape charges.

While a 36-year-old man was arrested for the rape of a 14-year-old child on Wednesday, a 76-year-old man was also arrested on the same day for the sexual assault of a three-year-old toddler. Sexual assault cases have been mounting at an alarming rate of recent and such cases are unfolding more frequently since the disturbing news of a two-year-old toddler who fell victim to sexual assault from close family members, emerged.

As such cases make the spotlight more frequently, it has been churning public outcry across the nation, with many attributing the increase of paedophilia to inadequate action from authorities.