- One of the victims: “Monn bizin aret aste dipin ek legim”
Marie Samantha Mathurin-Ramen, a pseudo-healer, was taken out of the game by the criminal police of the South. She is accused of stealing money from women in difficulty. Posing as a healer, she tricked a Midlands resident into believing she could perform special prayers so she could give birth. It was during a wake that she met this 33-year-old lady. Noticing varicose veins in her feet, Samantha Mathurin-Ramen, aged 40, claimed to be able to cure her by performing “passes” on her person.
“Monn finished shot move zer”
Over time, she gets closer to her prey who confides in her that she is having trouble giving birth. For Samantha Mathurin-Ramen, it's the perfect time to show off her claws. She pretends to be a nun accustomed to the rites of “fire walking”, able to remove bad luck from her.
Thus, Samantha Mathurin-Ramen went to this victim's home numerous times between May 1 and 4 for prayers. During one of these rites, she demands that the victim bring her gold jewelry. Taking advantage of a moment of inattention, she quickly leaves the scene, shouting “Monn fini tir move zer”. The jewelry, worth Rs 360,000, had gone missing. On May 5, the victim rushed to the Rose-Belle police station where she filed a complaint against this healer.
Sometimes a healer, sometimes a policewoman
Very quickly, the sleuths of the Criminal Investigation Division of Rose-Belle, led by Inspector Sookun, were able to trace the pseudo-healer, Marie Samantha Mathurin-Ramen. This resident of Beau-Vallon, Mahébourg, was positively identified by the victim. Subjected to close interrogation, she confessed. Police, led by Superintendent Surnam, are continuing their investigation to trace the stolen jewelry.
The suspect Samantha Mathurin-Ramen, behind bars, is also accused of having stolen the bank card of a woman named Sangeeta (fictitious first name), another resident of the South, and emptied her bank account. This time, she did not wear the outfit of a healer, but rather of a police officer assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
“Nahien pa reste, tu mo kass pansion inn ale”. In shock, Sangeeta, aged 56, finds herself without a single penny overnight. Consumed with anxiety, she says she is experiencing a real financial ordeal. This resident of Grand-Port had to interrupt her professional career in 2016 after health problems. Unfit to work according to public doctors, she received a pension from the Ministry of Social Security. His bank account in March 2023 showed Rs 211,477.
Sangeeta tells Le Défi Quotidien the circumstances in which she met Samantha Mathurin-Ramen: “Enn zour linn telefonn mwa, linn prezant li kouma enn cid”. Shortly after, Samantha Mathurin-Ramen arrived at her house: “Monn trouv drol kouma linn kone kot mo reste”. Sangeeta explains that subsequently, this stranger made numerous trips to her home, not to mention the numerous phone calls. So much so, our interlocutor relates, that this stranger became more and more possessive towards her.
Sangeeta maintains that on one occasion, this woman accompanied her to the bank, where she asked her for her password. Then, during the month of April 2023, Sangeeta notices the disappearance of her bank card. In May, she went to the bank to withdraw money. That’s when she learns that her account is dry: “Monn gagn sok,” she says. She requests a bank statement where she discovers that between March 20 and May 8, 2023, several amounts, totaling the sum of Rs 211,477.88, were debited from her account without her knowledge. She filed a complaint at the Mahébourg police station.
Mo pe bizin aste ti pake tea bag Rs 33
Finding herself without a single penny, Sangeeta says she has since experienced enormous difficulty coping with daily life to make ends meet. Without money or financial assistance, his life suddenly fell into precariousness. She finds herself forced to deprive herself of her eating habits: “Monn arete pran di pin le matin, ni legim, mo pe bizin aste ti pake tea bag Rs 33,” she says. For her current expenses, she finds herself obliged to ask her loved ones. Faced with this situation, Sangeeta hopes that her Social Security pension will be restored as soon as possible.
Questioned about this second case by the Mahébourg Criminal Investigation Division, led by Inspector Jugasing and Sergeant Goodur, Samantha Mathurin-Ramen confessed. She was also betrayed by images from surveillance cameras, among others. The suspect is also accused of having made purchases in supermarkets using the victim's bank card.
Convicted of drug trafficking
Samantha Mathurin-Ramen is not unknown to the justice system. In 2016, she was convicted in the Intermediate Court for drug trafficking. She was sent to prison and also fined Rs 80,000 for trafficking 124.9 grams of cannabis. In 2017, she was convicted of assault before the Flacq court, where she received a fine of Rs 1,000.
