veeshani A

Breaking in at our Charlet

On 3 August 2025, we were guests at the Sondela Holiday Resort. Early that morning, we discovered that there had been a break-in at our chalet. We immediately informed the resort, and security personnel were dispatched to our unit. Approximately two hours later, the police arrived to take our statement. During a conversation with the security manager, he informed us that there had been a security breach and that suspects had managed to gain access to the premises. The explanation given was implausible. According to the story, the intruders somehow navigated the large resort grounds—despite being unfami**** with the layout—and walked directly to our chalet. They then used a duplicate key to enter while we were asleep and removed our belongings. The suggestion that we may have been drugged made even less sense. Throughout our stay, we received no communication or support from resort management. There was no courtesy call, and no one came to check on us. We had to go to the management office ourselves to report the incident. We were told someone would contact us on Monday, but no one did. On Tuesday, I followed up with a call and was brushed off, being told to send an email instead, as this was “an isolated incident.” Eventually, I received an email from the resort that not only dismissed our concerns but also suggested that we may have fabricated the incident. They insisted it was an isolated case. However, upon conducting my own research, I discovered a similar incident had occurred on 23 December 2024. In that case too, the resort accused the guests of fabricating the story. The resort’s claim that this was an isolated incident is misleading. Between January and August 2025 alone, I found evidence of four other similar break-ins. Yet the resort has taken no responsibility and has not informed guests about these incidents so they could take precautions. Instead of addressing the issue transparently, the resort reportedly sent a threatening letter to a guest involved in one of the incidents, warning her she would be sued if she spoke about it on social media.