Foreign ministry on Tuesday insisted that bringing the gruesome murder of renowned local blogger and social media activist Yameen Rasheed to justice is of utmost important to the government.
The ministry in a statement said the police was giving top priority to the investigation of the Yameen Rasheed’s murder, noting the substantial progress they have made in the investigation.
The statement also noted the interest on the case expressed by other governments and international agencies, reassuring that the police and all agencies of the state will continue to give utmost importance to the murder investigation.
Foreign ministry also noted that the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) is currently conducting a separate investigation of the issue of threats made to Yaameen Rasheed and added they are keeping a close eye on the investigation of the murder.
Police, on Tuesday, made a statement for the first time on the arrests made in connection to the murder and announced that they arrested four during last week and two earlier, taking the total to six arrests in connection to the case.
Police had earlier slapped travel bans on several other people believed to be connected to the gruesome murder.
Yameen's murder has left the entire nation – especially active social media users, who Yameen was a close ally to, shaken by the news.
According to Yameen’s family, he was stabbed over 16 times in the neck, head and even the face at around 3am in his own home’s stairwell.
Police last week had sent the forensic evidence abroad to be analyzed by foreign experts.
The move comes as the victim's family has urged the police and the government to seek foreign aid in the investigation.
The police identified suspects involved in the murder through a series of CCTV footage and had officially announced a manhunt.
