Constable Selven Poneandee, in his thirties, was arrested in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 23 on a charge of attempted murder. This follows an incident that occurred at Camp Diable. The victim is none other than a police officer assigned to the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit (Adsu) of the southern division. With his car, a Honda Vezel, he tried to hit the police officer. After being placed in a cell at the Rose-Belle police station, he was brought before the Bail and Remand Court (BRC) in Port-Louis. This Monday, April 24, he was brought before the court in Souillac. Constable Selven Poneandee, assigned to the Bel Ombre police station, refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.
In a statement made in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 23, the 52-year-old resident of Camp Diable recounted an incident that took place in front of his home around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday evening, April 22. He was returning from Rivière des Anguilles when he received a phone call from his daughter. The latter informed him that a white car stopped in front of their door and that its occupants were looking for trouble.
When the Adsu policeman arrived, he inquired about the situation and why they were looking for trouble with his relatives. One of the three people he knew as constable Poneandee, approached him and pointed at him while insulting him, “Ey gard l’Adsu taler mo….”. The Adsu officer said he felt humiliated at that moment because there were family members and members of the public present.
Constable Poneandee took the wheel of his vehicle before reversing, in this brutal maneuver he hit an electric pylon and a wall. He then drove the vehicle towards the police officer who had the reflex to dodge him. It is at high speed that the car rolled in the direction of a kalimaye to island, Camp Diable.
A few minutes after Selven Poneandee returned to the scene, the Adsu policeman who was still on the street with members of his family, said he tried to engage in a conversation with him and his two friends. They were offended and Constable Poneandee had to tell him, “mo pou fer deklarasyo kont twa ki tonn dir kraz mo loto”.
After calling in the police officers from the Camp Diable police station, the Adsu officer had to ask them to give Selven Poneandee a breathalyzer test because he reeked of alcohol. The latter was arrested shortly after and taken to the police station. However, he refused to take a breathalyzer test from an Emergency Response Service officer.
Two other statements were made against Constable Poneandee in the early hours of Sunday morning, April 23, one by a resident of Camp Diable and the second by the son of the Adsu officer. They concern a case of aggression and verbal insult respectively.
