Security guard arrested for South African woman’s murder in Mauritius

A security guard from the complex where a South African lived in Mauritius has been arrested for her murder.

Sahib Meerhossen was arrested on Monday for Lara Rijs’s murder. He appeared in the Pamplemousses District Court on Tuesday where his case was postponed and he will remain behind bars until August 22.

Mauritian police spokesman Inspector Shiva Coothen said Meerhossen accompanied Rijs to her bungalow in the north of the island.

“I don’t know if it was practice or he used to do that or Lara invited the security guard to accompany her.”

Coothen said there was no break-in at Rijs’s bungalow in AO Résidence de Luxe in Grand Baie.

The police found her body on Monday at 4pm in a pool of her own blood after a cut in her neck. Coothen could not confirm if Rijs was raped.

Rijs arrived in Mauritius three months ago where she worked as a manager in Port Louis at the Geneva Management Group (GMG) global financial services. GMG chief executive Dave Elzas said they were “distraught and deeply saddened” by Rijs’s death.

“We extend our most sincere condolences to her family and will make every assistance available to them at this difficult time.”

According to Rijs’s LinkedIn profile she studied at Rhodes University‚ Unisa and the Edinburgh Business School.

She worked at Standard Bank and Absa from January 2005 until December 2007 before moving to Geneva‚ Switzerland‚ in January 2008.

Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesman Nelson Kgwete said they were not aware of the murder.

■ A Scottish expatriate Janice Farman‚ 47‚ from Clydebank was murdered in Mauritius during a robbery at her house on July 7. She was strangled in front of her 10-year-old autistic son. Three men were arrested for the murder.