Maldives Police Service (MPS) has revealed that the phone of Mohamed Azhan has been recovered, adding that there were no signs of murder as of yet.

Authorities had been on the search for Azhan for about two weeks after he was reported missing from Phase II of the Hulhumalé suburb. The body was found during a special operation by Police on Sunday evening at 5:45pm. His body was found inside the jungle near the Water Theme Park in Hulhumalé Phase I, close by the Redbull Park where he was last seen.

In a press statement released on Monday, Police noted that they had informed the relevant police stations in Malé City and Hulhumalé City as well as their intelligence unit after receiving the missing person report regarding Azhan. They added that through the investigation of intelligence, they were able to pinpoint a ping from Azhan's mobile to a cell tower in Hulhumalé.

A public appeal to find Azhan was made the same day with the permission of the family, and his whereabouts were confirmed with the help of CCTV footage and those who had met him. They also analyzed CCTV footage across the city to determine whether Azhan had traveled to Malé City or not.

The statement added that the investigation revealed that Azhan had been to a guesthouse in Phase I on September 18th, and with the help of statements from police officers active in the area and CCTV footage, they had conducted a search operation at the abandoned Water Theme Park construction site. They highlighted that additional CCTV footage was received on September 30th, where Azhan was seen going near the beach and later coming towards the main road nearby the Redbull Park area, adjacent to the Water Theme Park construction site.

Based on this new footage, they analyzed further CCTV footage in the area but his disappearance from the footage prompted them to search the area once again. A body believed to be Azhan was then found last Sunday in the area, triggering a homicide investigation in the case.

Police noted yesterday that the phone of Azhan was not found nearby and efforts were underway to locate it. They however confirmed that the phone has been recovered in the statement, adding that there were no signs of murder as of yet.

During a press meet at the location, Head Superintendent of Police for the Serious and Organised Crimes Unit, Hassan Saeed noted that the body was in a state of decomposition at the time of discovery, which made it unclear as to whether the body had sustained any major injuries or not.

Saeed further revealed that an autopsy will be conducted to further determine the cause of death, adding that the family has been informed about the decision.

He further highlighted that no efforts were made to hide the body, adding that the case is now being investigated as a homicide even though there were no suspects at the time of press.