Menlo Park Case: Missing Rs 10 Million and Stéphane Adam’s Electronics    

Two electronic devices—a laptop and a smartphone belonging to Stéphane Adam, the director of Menlo Park Ltd—have been missing since November 15, 2024. These devices are considered potentially crucial by the Anti-Money Laundering Unit (AMLU) of the Central Crime Investigation Department as they investigate Rs 10.4 million that went missing from the Rs 45 million allocated to Menlo Park Ltd by the Mauritius Investment Corporation (MIC) just days before the 2024 elections on October 29.

In a statement made on May 22, Stéphane Adam reported that the devices were stolen from his unlocked car parked in Coromandel.

He claimed he went to a police station to report the theft, but notably, no formal complaint has been filed to date.

Investigators believe these devices may hold essential evidence related to suspicious fund movements following the release of the money by the MIC.

Meanwhile, an analysis of another smartphone owned by Stéphane Adam revealed direct connections to Deepshikha Gowreesunker, a Relationship Executive at the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB).

She has been suspended since the scandal broke and reportedly exchanged messages with Adam about the missing laptop.

The AMLU is concerned that Gowreesunker may have advised Adam to dispose of the laptop in those messages.

She was arrested by the AMLU on May 20 and released the following day on a Rs 5,000 bail, becoming the sixth suspect in this case.

When contacted, Stéphane Adam explained that the message stemmed from an internet connectivity issue during his conversation with the MCB executive.

According to Adam, Gowreesunker suggested him to “throw away his laptop” out of frustration with slow internet.

Regarding the missing Rs 10.4 million, Adam stated that the funds were used for Menlo Park Ltd’s operations and emphasized that “no transactions were made by Menlo Park Ltd abroad,” as the investigation suggested.

The AMLU is now focusing on the mystery of the missing devices, aiming to trace the money and understand why these items, suspected of containing key evidence, have not been recovered.

Source: l’Express