Man arrested over luxury resort safe burglary

A 19-year old man was arrested on Friday on suspicion of links to a burglary on luxury resort Gasfinolhu operated by international chain Club Med.

A group of seven masked men raided the island near capital Malé in the early hours on Thursday, tied up two security guards and a staff working at the resort’s reception desk before getting away with four safes, the police said.

A police spokesman declined to reveal details of the suspect or the amount of money stolen from the five-star solar powered resort.

“Most of the resorts have one official access point, there are security posts set up to monitor who comes on and off the island. But, like any island it’s fairly easy to enter from other sides of the island as well,” Ismail Ali said.

The group did not go near the villas where tourists were staying.

“These kinds of burglaries often occur with the help of those who work on the resort,” Ismail added.

Officials from Gasfinolhu declined to comment.

A similar incident occurred in 2014 when a group of masked men stole a safe from Filitheyo Island Resort in south central Faafu Atoll.

Burglaries on resorts are uncommon, the police insisted.