A criminal investigation has been launched into the disappearance of 31 cartons of cigarettes while they were in the custody of the Villingili Police.

In a message sent to the media today, police stated that they are investigating a case where six out of 32 cartons of cigarettes, which were taken into police custody on suspicion of being illegally imported into the Maldives, went missing while being stored at the Villingili Police Station.

The items were taken into custody from a foreigner on May 23, and the shortage of six cartons was discovered on the 12th of this month when the items were being checked before being handed over to Customs, police said.

Police further stated that while investigating this matter, it was also noted that 25 cartons of cigarettes, which had been taken into custody from two foreigners on December 23 last year, were also missing from the Villingili Police Station.

An administrative inquiry into these cases is being conducted by the Police Professional Standards Command, and a separate criminal investigation is also underway, police confirmed.