Car Sales Scheme in Port Area, Man Arrested for Fraud

Benty Soopramen Coolen, a man suspected of fraud, is now in custody following his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in the Port area. Coolen allegedly posed as an employee of the Mauritius Port Authority (MPA) and falsely claimed connections to a Vice Prime Minister, swindling several victims by promising them seized vehicles stored at the freeport.

Multiple complaints had been filed against Coolen before he was apprehended.

He reportedly convinced his victims that he had access to vehicles in pristine condition, supposedly sealed within the MPA premises.

One of the victims, identified by the pseudonym Melissa, is a 33-year-old teacher who shares her troubling experience.

In March 2024, Melissa met Coolen through her mother, who had been led to believe in his credibility.

“He introduced himself as an MPA employee with family ties to a Vice Prime Minister. He claimed to be a family friend, which made me trust him,” she recounted.

Coolen informed her that the MPA would be auctioning off seized cars that had not received customs clearance, an opportunity that Melissa found too good to pass up.

Coolen assured Melissa that the auction process would allow her to purchase the vehicles at attractive prices.

Encouraged by his promise, she decided to buy a Toyota Aqua for Rs 45,000. On April 4, she met Coolen at the MPA, where he took her on a tour of the port area.

“Everyone there seemed to know him. He appeared genuine, showing me several vehicles, including the Toyota Aqua, an Audi, and an SUV,” she recalled.

Convinced by Coolen’s repeated assurances, Melissa decided to buy all three vehicles, handing him Rs 255,000 in cash for the transaction.

However, after the purchase, Coolen began requesting additional money, claiming that the auction process had been halted.

Between April 8 and April 12, 2024, Melissa transferred an additional Rs 195,000 to him.

Eventually realizing that she had been deceived, she reported the matter to the police when she failed to receive the vehicles.

“This situation has severely impacted my health; I’ve been hospitalized since August 14 due to the stress resulting from this scam,” Melissa lamented.

On July 18, Benty Coolen was arrested by the CID and provisionally charged with fraud.

Following his appearance in the Port Louis court, he was remanded in custody.

Melissa is not the only victim who has come forward against Coolen.

On May 3, another resident from the capital filed a similar complaint at the Pope Hennessy police station.

This individual claimed that Coolen had offered seized vehicles at incredibly low prices, leveraging his alleged connections within customs and the National Land & Transport Authority (NLTA).

This victim reported being defrauded of Rs 492,800 for two vehicles that were never delivered.

Authorities are continuing their investigations to uncover the full extent of this fraudulent scheme.

Source: Defi Media