This time, violence seems to have reached a summum. A horde of men turned up at Manand Fakhoo?s house in Beau-Bassin and he ended up in hospital. Ewateerao Fakhoo, alias Manand, has undergone surgery on his right kidney and is now out of danger. But his family says it is traumatised. François Johan Jacques, the security officer of Ti Vegas casino, has been arrested and provisionally charged with attack in aggravating circumstances and causing damages.

Last Tuesday, Manand Fakhoo stated to the police that four ?bouncers? of Ti Vegas casino had threatened him with a gun and stolen Rs 101,500. He ran to the police station but refused a doctor?s examination. The next day, he went to the police again to complain about people before his house. Some hours later, his house was attacked.

Fakhoo?s daughter, Nikki, asserts there were some 75 men around her house. She said these men had dragged her father for 50 metres, beaten him and stabbed him before leaving him lying on the street. According to Nikki, her father went out of the house when he saw the police coming but, when the latter saw the crowd, they drove away leaving her father defenceless. Other police divisions then came and forced the group to move away. A sabre and a broken toy gun were confiscated.

During the night of the attack, one of the security officer of Ti Vegas and his brother went to the police to make a statement against Fakhoo. The latter has already had some problems with the police. The investigation should determine the circumstances of the attack and give a true version of the incident.