1988 Maldives coup attempt

1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt
Part of Indian Intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war

Indian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 planes like this one were used in Cactus. (This image was taken at an unrelated location in Hawaii, United States decades after 1988.)
Date3 November 1988
Location
Maldives, Indian Ocean
Result

Indian/Maldivian government victory

  • Coup failed
Belligerents
India India
Maldives Maldives
People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
Maldives Maldivian rebels
Commanders and leaders
India R. Venkataraman
India Rajiv Gandhi
IndiaVice-Admiral S.V.V. Gopalachari
India Brigadier Farouk Bulsara
India Colonel Subhash Joshi
Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Uma Maheswaran
 Wasanti 
Maldives Abdullah Luthufi (POW)
Maldives Sagaru Ahmed Nasir (POW)
Maldives Ahmed Ismail Manik Sikka (POW)
Strength
500 Indian paratroopers
Maldivian National Security Service
80–100 gunmen
Casualties and losses
19 killed (8 NSS), 39 injured (18 NSS). 4 hostage killed, 3 hostage unaccounted for Several mercenaries were killed and some were captured. 27 hostage taken, 20 were retrieved. 4 killed and the other 3 unknown.

The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was by a group of Sri Lankans and Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufee and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organization from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives. The attempt was thwarted with Indian assistance in Operation Cactus.