Referring to rumors in the media that a Maldivian woman had been raped in a resort, Maldives Police Service (MPS) have said that no such case had been reported to the police institution.

This message was shared by Police on Friday, and they explained that there was no proof that rape had occurred, but the female intern in question had confirmed to officers that a foreign colleague of hers at the resort had attempted to touch her without her consent.

The Police also revealed that while reports of rape had been circulating in the media in recent days, no such case had been filed at MPS; when the Police had been informed of the assault, the suspect in question had already left Maldives.

The Family and Child Protection Department is currently investigating the case.

MPS urged media outlets and social media users to be careful about circulating news about sexual assault, stressing the importance of not further victimizing survivors of such incidents.