Fatal attack on Chandan Maunick: 14 years in prison for Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee

Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday for the fatal assault of Chandan Maunick in 2018. Initially charged with manslaughter, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges. The judge stressed that drug addiction in no way excused his action, thus justifying the 14-year prison sentence.

A resident of Plaine-Magnienm, aged 27, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday January 31, 2024, before the Assize Court. Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee was found guilty of fatally attacking his friend Chandan Maunick, then aged 21, on June 1, 2018 in Mahébourg.

The defendant, initially charged with “manslaughter”, pleaded guilty to assault causing death without intent to kill. He said that during the crime in Mahébourg, Chandan Maunick administered drugs intravenously in an abandoned house. He had asked for her help to inject his dose, but the victim allegedly positioned his arm incorrectly, causing pain due to the drug leaking.

In a fit of anger, Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee pushed his friend, before violently hitting him in the head with a piece of wood. Angered by the victim's question about the reason for the attack, he also beat him in the chest and face. Chandan Maunick collapsed, bleeding from the nose, before dying.

Subsequently, the accused moved the body, disposing of the piece of wood and their drug paraphernalia. Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee had also stolen Rs 8,700 from his friend, spending the money on food and drugs. Chandan Maunick's body was not discovered until 23 days after the attack, and the cause of death could not be established due to the corpse's advanced decomposition.

In court, Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee pleaded that he himself had been a drug victim since 2017. He apologized to the victim's family and expressed remorse for what he did.

In his ruling, Judge Pravin Harrah said Mohammad Djamil Korumtallee violently assaulted Chandan Maunick, which led to his death. Also, the victim was in a daze after consuming drugs. The judge stressed that the condition of a drug victim in no way justifies the act of the accused, and concluded that he does not deserve any leniency, thus pronouncing a sentence of 14 years in prison.