Two Armed Men Seized During Curfew Patrol in Pamplemousses

Two men were arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, 15 October, after an anti-drug and street patrol unit caught them carrying multiple weapons during the ongoing curfew in Mauritius.

The arrests were made around 12:30am by officers from the ADSU — the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit, a specialised branch of the Mauritius Police Force — while they were conducting a night patrol along Route de Pamplemousses, a main road in the north of the island.

The two suspects are a 46-year-old self-employed man from Roche-Bois, a suburb of Port Louis, and a 26-year-old stonemason from Riche-Terre, a locality near the northern coast. Officers seized three weapons from the pair: an iron bar measuring 73 centimetres, a machete with a 37-centimetre blade, and a 30-centimetre hammer.

Both men were taken into custody and placed in detention. Police say investigations are continuing to establish their exact role in what authorities are describing as nocturnal disturbances — a reference to the unrest and disorder that has accompanied the curfew period across the island.

Mauritius has been under a curfew following a wave of riots and public disorder linked to tensions over drug trafficking networks. The government imposed movement restrictions at night, and law enforcement agencies have been conducting intensive patrols to maintain order and prevent further incidents.

What this means: Arrests like this one reflect the wider security operation underway across Mauritius during the curfew. The presence of makeshift weapons — a metal bar, a machete, and a hammer — rather than firearms is notable, and police are working to determine whether those detained had any connection to the broader unrest that prompted the curfew in the first place. Residents in the northern districts of Pamplemousses and surrounding areas are advised that curfew conditions remain in force overnight, and security patrols are active.

Source: ION News