Roopnarain Lootooa, alias Kishan, 52, a Chief Fire Officer at the Port was arrested on the evening of Friday 19 August after a large quantity of cannabis was discovered at his home in Creve Coeur, Montagne Longue. The street value of the drug is estimated at Rs 1,469,300. 353 cannabis seeds, 44 cannabis plants, 8.8 kilograms and 1035 grams of cannabis were seized. His arrest was made following a raid by police officers from the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) of the Northern Division, led by Inspector Soyfoo.
Roopnarain Lootooa, who was suspected of being involved in drug trafficking, was in the ADSU’s sights. After hours of surveillance, the police raided his home on Friday 19 August at around 4pm. But the suspect was not there, only his 17-year-old son was present. Roopnarain Lootooa was informed by Inspector Soyfoo on the phone that his team is at his house and he was asked to return home as soon as possible. But it was not until 7.50 pm that he arrived.
A body search was carried out on his person, but no drugs were found. His house was searched. On the first floor, the police found 24 cannabis plants grown in geotextile bags in a mixture of soil and manure. On a table, they found a rectangular polystyrene box with a cover in which there was a quantity of cannabis, a vaporiser containing a quantity of liquid, a bottle with the label Tripant Flora Micro and another similar bottle.
This search extended to the second floor of his house where a similar crop of cannabis, as on the first floor, was discovered. There were a further 24 plants. Two polystyrene boxes with cannabis in them, a glass container with a quantity of cannabis and another container with 353 cannabis seeds and an electronic scale with particles of the drug on it.
The suspect was subsequently taken to the ADSU office in Poudre d’Or for questioning and then placed in custody in a cell at the Rivière du Rempart police station. On Saturday morning, 20 August, Roopnarain Lootooa was brought before the Bail and Remand Court (BRC) in Port Louis. He was taken back to the police cell.
