A former hotel security guard arrested by Mauritius detectives investigating the murder of honeymooner Michaela McAreavey has been remanded in custody on a theft charge, police have said.
The Mauritius Police Force said Dassen Narayanen, who worked at the Legends Hotel where the Co Tyrone teacher was killed in 2011, was brought before a district magistrate on Wednesday on a count of larceny.
A lawyer for Narayanen has described the case against his client as “nonsense” and said he denies any wrongdoing.
After Mrs McAreavey’s killing in 2011, Narayanen was initially charged with conspiracy to murder but that was later reduced to a larceny charge.
The larceny charge was struck out in 2013.
Mrs McAreavey, 27, was strangled in her room at the hotel on January 10 2011.
The teacher, who had got married 10 days earlier, was attacked as she returned to her room alone and disturbed a burglary.
No-one has been convicted of murdering the daughter of Gaelic football manager, Mickey Harte.
Two former workers at the luxury resort: Sandip Moneea and Avinash Treebhoowoon, were acquitted of murder after a high-profile trial on the holiday island in summer 2012.
A police spokesman told the PA news agency: “On Tuesday March 29 2022, police, upon the advice of the director of public prosecutions, arrested Mr Dassen Narayanen on the charge of conspiracy to commit an unlawful act, to wit, larceny.
“He was brought before the district magistrate of Piton Court today, Wednesday March 30 2022, and has been remanded to police cell until April 6 2022.
“Investigation in progress.”
Narayanen’s lawyer, Vikash Teeluckdharry, said his client was questioned by police on Tuesday about allegations of theft at the hotel around the time of the murder on the Indian Ocean island.
The lawyer said Narayanen was taken to hospital in the capital, Port Louis, during his police detention.
Mr Teeluckdharry told the PA news agency his client was handcuffed in his hospital bed when he visited him.
Mrs McAreavey’s widower, John, has pursued a long campaign for justice and in 2017 offered a two million Mauritian rupee (50,000 euro) reward for information leading to a successful conviction.
Last year, a key prosecution witness in the original murder trial, Raj Theekoy, was found dead.
Mr Teeluckdharry claimed police in Mauritius are attempting to suggest there had now been a major development in the murder case.
He described those claims as “nonsense” and said there was “nothing new” in the questions put to Narayanen on Tuesday.
He said his client was innocent.
