Indian/Maldivian government victory 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.

[1] About 80 armed PLOTE mercenaries landed in the capital Malé before dawn aboard speedboats from a hijacked Sri Lankan freighter.

The mercenaries quickly gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airport, port, television and radio stations.

[2] After that, he contacted the United States, but was told that it would take US forces 2–3 days to reach the Maldives from their nearest military base in Diego Garcia, 1000 km away.

The swift intervention by the Indian military and accurate intelligence successfully quelled the attempted coup d'état in the island nation.

United States President Ronald Reagan expressed his appreciation for India's action, calling it "a valuable contribution to regional stability".

[9] The 1988 coup d'état had been headed by a once prominent Maldivian businessperson named Abdullah Luthufi, who was operating a farm in Sri Lanka.

Operation Cactus: How India Averted Maldives Crisis in 1988 (2018) is a TV documentary which premiered on Veer by Discovery Channel series, Battle Ops.