Barely a week after being granted parole by the Children’s Court, a 16-year-old teenager living in Cité Ducray, Sainte Croix found himself behind bars on the evening of Wednesday November 8. He was arrested by a team from Grand’Baie’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Last March, he was arrested by the same team in connection with five cases of moped theft. On the evening of Tuesday November 7, he broke into a car in the parking area of the Pereybère public beach and placed a knife to the throat of a female passenger. The driver was forced to take him on board to go to an ATM. She withdrew Rs 3,000 and gave it to the teenager. In addition to confessing to this case of theft with violence, the teenager told investigators that he had stolen a scooter from an apartment in Pereybère.
Sergeant Sohun’s men, under the supervision of Inspector Thakoor and ASP Budree, pulled out all the stops to track down the teenager. A raid was then carried out in Cité Ducray, Sainte Croix.
Confronted with the evidence obtained against him, the young suspect was quick to confess. A search of his home revealed two cell phones stolen from the two women in the car.
The teenager was then taken to the Grand’ Baie CID office for questioning. He was identified by the two women as their assailant. He was then taken by CID officers to Missisipi Lane, Pereybère, where he had hidden the stolen scooter. The scooter was identified by its owner at the CID office in Grand ‘Baie.
The CID investigation into this case began when the robbery with violence perpetrated on the two women was reported to the Grand ‘Baie police station. The driver, who works as a Beverage Development Manager, reported that she had driven to Pereybère at around 9:05 p.m. to pick up a work colleague in her car. They drove to La Croisette. On the way back, they stopped at the Pereybère public beach. The driver parked her car in the parking area next to Gloria Food.
In less than half an hour they were back in the car, having struck up a conversation while sitting on a bench. No sooner had they entered the car, an individual entered the back and placed a knife to her friend’s throat. They were frozen with fear. He demanded money.
He asked the driver to go to an ATM. She withdrew Rs 3000 and gave it back to him. The teenager then asked the driver to take a side road to Mississipi Lane, Pereybère. She drove about 100 meters. The suspect asked for her car. Frightened, the driver handed over her Iphone 14 Pro Max and her wallet, and her friend gave her her Iphone 13 Pro Max. They immediately got out of the car. Just as the teenager was trying to get behind the wheel, the driver managed to grab the ignition key and drive off with her friend.
Both began shouting for help. Local residents began to come out and the young thug vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, a 62-year-old foreign national who has lived in Pointe aux Canonniers for over five years, and who owns a scooter rental agency, had gone to the Grand ‘Baie police station to report a case of theft. This was after he had been informed by a customer that one of his scooters had been stolen. The 71-year-old customer, who lived in Pereybère, is a regular customer of his agency. He had rented a scooter for the whole month of November for the sum of Rs 12,000.
He told the owner that the brown Fiddle scooter was parked opposite his apartment. He woke up to find it gone at around 9 a.m. on Wednesday November 8. At around 8 a.m. on the same day, another customer reported an attempted theft with the scooter’s damaged cable.
Questioned at length in the presence of his mother, the teenager finally broke down. He was placed in a cell at the Petite Rivière detention center. The case has been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The police have already indicated their intention to contest his possible release on bail.
The teenager was previously detained at the Correctional Youth Centre. He had been granted parole by the Children’s Court. He was under curfew between 8 pm and 6 am.
