The Tourism Police of the Northern Division have been seized of a case concerning the theft of jewelry worth Rs 2 million from a 40 year old British tourist. She arrived in Mauritius on Saturday, July 16 to stay in a hotel in the area of Riviere du Rempart. The driver of a company that had transported her from the airport to her hotel was questioned at length during the day on Sunday 24 July. He was released for lack of evidence.
In her deposition, this British woman said that on Saturday, July 16, shortly after 8:00 p.m., she and her husband got off at this hotel in Rivière du Rempart. After getting out of the vehicle, the driver told her that he was going to take her luggage to her room before leaving. Indeed, a few minutes later, he came back to deposit a black suitcase with her husband.
This driver who had left and returned shortly afterwards to deposit a jacket that she had forgotten in the vehicle. The next day, Sunday July 17, she had to notice that a metal box of blue color and containing jewels was missing. As she was unwell, it was only on Friday July 22 that she searched for this box in all her luggage, but in vain. She then contacted the airline company that transported her. This step was without result.
This box contained at least twelve diamond-set jewels. The whole is estimated at 33 700 pounds sterling, or Rs 2 million. It is an investigation conducted by police officers of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of Piton and those of the Divisional Crime Intelligence Unit of the northern division that led to the arrest of this 33-year-old driver, living in the south. A search of his home was unsuccessful. The suspect, who was subjected to a close interrogation, denied the accusation made against him and was later allowed to leave.
