Maldives Police Service has asked the public not to circulate photographs of Shiau Mohamed Saeed's murder scene.
Shiau, 22, was found brutally murdered in a Henveiru home in capital Male' on the night of August 6. According to reports, her body was severely mutilated by her murderer, with her head decapitated and limbs cut off. However, no official authorities have confirmed the reports. The police arrested 23-year-old Ali Shahil from the scene of the crime.
Some photographs allegedly taken at the time of Shiau's murder have been circulating on different platforms since Monday.
When asked regarding the photos, Maldives Police Service said it was not aware of any photos being leaked from the authority. The police would look into whether the photos were leaked from the authority, they assured. The police did not comment on whether the photos being circulated were authentic or not.
"There are photos of Shiau's body circulating on various social media platforms. Some media outlets have claimed that the photos were leaked from within the police, but no such photos are believed to have been leaked from this authority," the police said.
Police said the photos were not taken for police investigation and are not being used in the investigation. However, further investigations are underway to see if anyone present at the crime scene had taken such a photo and leaked it, they assured.
"The inhumane violence seen in the photos is likely to affect those who see it. We ask you not to send them to each other and circulate them through various platforms," police said in a tweet.
