Crucial witness Constable Seedanie declared that no trace of Kanakiah was found on the Safe City Network images the day before the incident, highlighting the lack of possible cross-verification due to the limited three-month image retention.
The police officer, on duty in Souillac, was tasked with viewing the Safe City Network images to locate Pravin Kanakiah on December 10, 2020.
Questioned by Me Damodar Bissessur from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Seedanie examined five cameras covering various locations such as La-Roche-qui-Pleure, where Kanakiah’s body was found, the Gris-Gris parking lot, the Souillac train station, the Telfair garden, and a restaurant in Souillac.
The footage spanned from 8am on December 10 to 10am the next day. Based on a photo of Kanakiah found on his Facebook page, Seedanie observed several people in front of the cameras but found no match. However, the lack of zoom function complicated the search.
Contradictions in testimonies: Discrepancies in the testimony were raised by Me Bissessur, including differences in instructions received, initially attributed to Superintendent Sookiah and then to Inspector Rughoonundhun. Seedanie had also mentioned being informed that Kanakiah was wearing black pants and a red shirt.
Me Bissessur highlighted a discrepancy with Sergeant Tapsee’s testimony, stating that Kanakiah was wearing black pants and a shirt when seen on the cliff at La-Roche-qui-Pleure.
Kanakiah’s wife also stated he was wearing a pink shirt and beige pants during their last meeting.
Regarding image storage, Seedanie confirmed their limited retention to three months, making the images currently unavailable.
Magistrate Dhunnoo pointed out the risk of errors when viewing 26 hours per camera, to which Seedanie responded that he completed the exercise alone in 6 to 7 hours.
The case was adjourned to March 20 for further proceedings in this ongoing judicial inquiry.
Source: Le Mauricien
