Sixty-Year-Old Stabbed by Neighbor - Raksha: "I Don't Even Know That Woman"

Raksha is still struggling to comprehend the situation. She searches for words and repeats, in disbelief: "I don’t even know that woman who attacked her." Her mother, Soomawtee, 63, was stabbed in the early hours of Thursday, December 4th, in her own bedroom on the upper floor of their home in Clémencia, Bel-Air/Rivière-Sèche. The assailant? Her neighbor, Shakuntala Devi Doorjun, known as Sairah.

This event has shaken an entire family and neighborhood. Yet, on Wednesday evening, everything seemed calm. As usual, Soomawtee went upstairs to sleep while other family members stayed on the ground floor. "The woman knew she was sleeping alone up there," a relative suggested.

Just before 3 AM, surveillance footage captured Sairah entering the victim's yard. She smashed a window and slipped inside, catching Soomawtee in deep sleep. "She broke in and stabbed her," Raksha recounted.

When the police arrived, Soomawtee was lying in a pool of blood. According to Raksha, her mother had suffered a punctured lung. Her condition was stabilized by the attending doctors, and she was admitted to SAJ hospital in Constance Flacq.

Sairah was arrested a few hours later and taken into custody. However, she had sustained injuries after jumping from the first floor of the victim's house during her escape. Just before being apprehended by the police, she reportedly consumed a harmful substance suspected to be pesticide and was also admitted to the hospital. Upon her release, she will face a provisional charge of attempted murder.

Additionally, a search was conducted at Sairah Doorjun's yard and home, with police discovering several items suspected to be linked to witchcraft practices.

Raksha claims she does not truly know the assailant. Sairah had lived abroad for many years. "We never knew her, and after about fifteen years she returned to Mauritius, we still didn’t see her," she confided.

What motive could have driven Sairah to target Soomawtee? Raksha admits she does not know. "We have never had any problems with her," she insists, shocked by the recent events. The neighborhood was peaceful, and her mother lived there quietly. She never had conflicts with anyone. Raksha reveals that to this day, the exact reasons for this attack on her mother remain unknown.

Police Suspects Premeditated Act

Did Sairah premeditate the attack? This is what the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of Bel-Air/Rivière-Sèche is beginning to suspect. In fact, she had booked a flight ticket to England for the same day. Investigators suspect she intended to flee the country immediately after the incident. However, she was arrested beforehand.