What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A coconut accused of 'black magic' was detained by police after it was found at a school to be used as a polling station.

The bizarre incident happened in the Maldives when locals reported the fruit, described as 'a young coconut', to the authorities.

They believed it was cursed and had been placed near to a presidential election polling station in Guraidhoo island.

It was reported that the coconut had a verse from the Koran inscribed on it.

So police brought a 'white magician' to examine the coconut who said it was 'a fake', according to local media.

A source told Maldives Minivan News: "The four-inch coconut had writing in Arabic and was lying on the ground near the school, easy for the public to see.

“When school students saw the coconut they called the principal, who then contacted the police.

“Now the police and school officials are more aware and police are patrolling the school at night, so magicians can’t practice real black magic at the school."

In Guraidhoo it is claimed that using black magic to either prevent people from voting or to influence them is 'common practice'.

Earlier this year parents at a school on the island refused to allow a polling station there because of concerns about a witch doing 'black magic'.

The source added: "It seems like it was a joke, just a prank, so that people will become aware, learn the moral, and not do it again."