Light may soon be shed on the hold-ups perpetrated in hotels on the west coast. Even though the five suspects arrested have denied all charges so far, the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) believes there is enough circumstantial evidence against them. The police are now searching for the mastermind behind the series of hold-ups that have occurred in the region.

All five suspects - Désiré Miguel (45), boatman at Les Pavillons, Yanesh Chimajee (21), self-employed, his 17 year-old brother, Jean-Fernando Labonne (22), skipper, and France Auguste (21), a machinist ? live in the village of La Gaulette. They have already been charged with armed robbery at Le Paradis hotel where Rs 16,500 was stolen as well as at Les Pavillons hotel where Rs 1,400 was taken. They will be detained at least until 6th September.

Last week, three masked men stormed the reception areas of these hotels in the middle of the night with sabres and guns. After taking all the money available, they got away on board a speed board. The CID came to have suspicions about the five men as their lifestyle had suddenly changed over the past few weeks. They had bought expensive products and rented a car. The police found the speedboat used for the hold-ups and wet clothes.

The police hope this case will help them solve the hold-ups that recently occurred at Berjaya and Indian Resorts hotels in the same region. The modus operandi was exactly the same. The criminals took Rs 89,000 and two envelopes containing foreign currencies from the Berjaya and Rs 500,000 from Indian Resorts. This case should be tackled urgently to avoid the country?s reputation being tarnished.