In Trou-d’Eau-Douce: "Ti Papie" and Rs 1.2 Million Seized from a Merchant
In Trou-d’Eau-Douce, a significant amount of money and illegal rolling papers were seized from a merchant during an operation by the Flacq CID on Tuesday, October 7. The sale of "ti papie" was thriving in Trou-d’Eau-Douce until the CID detectives uncovered a substantial stock of this prohibited product along with a suspicious amount of cash. When questioned on-site, the merchant admitted to the activities, saying, "I sell these papers in my shop; I've already sold the empty packets."
On the day of the raid, investigators, armed with a search warrant, stormed the shop of Sanjay Bissessur, also known as Vishal, a 49-year-old resident of Sept Croisée Road, Trou-d’Eau-Douce. Initially, the police searched his store and noticed a plastic bag hidden in a cardboard box among some waste, which piqued their interest.
Their suspicions were soon confirmed: they discovered 47 packs of "Roll-your-own" tobacco papers, 17 empty "ti papie" packs, and 19 additional tobacco papers, all of which are illegal for sale in Mauritius. Upstairs, where the accused lived, the police found a safe containing approximately Rs 1.2 million in Mauritian rupees and foreign currency.
Confronted by investigators, the merchant attempted to justify the money, stating, "This cash comes from my shop. I don't deposit it in the bank to avoid taxes." Sanjay Bissessur was arrested for money laundering and taken into police custody.
Additionally, lawyer Pravesh Nuckcheddy, representing the merchant's interests, claims he was threatened and assaulted by the CID officers. In a report for "verbal threats" filed at the Flacq police station on Tuesday afternoon, Nuckcheddy recounts being surrounded by five police officers and physically attacked while at the CID to meet his client. He claims to have received blows to the chest.
The Police Press Office confirmed that two separate investigations have been launched to clarify the allegations made by the lawyer and the seizure that took place.
