Fatal 2018 Crash Leads to Police Officer’s Firing 6 Years Later

A former Scene of Crime Office (SOCO) police constable was dismissed from the force on Tuesday, September 9, following a fatal traffic accident in 2018. The officer, who had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and fined by the Intermediate Court, was officially terminated from service by police command, a stricter penalty than the court’s judgment.

Details of the Tragic Accident

The incident, which occurred on the morning of Monday, November 26, 2018, took the lives of 80-year-old Lutchmeen Jugtha and her son, Vijay.

The officer was driving a police service vehicle at speed to attend a crime scene in Lallmatie when he struck the two pedestrians and a third person on the main road in the village of Belvedere, Flacq.

According to a witness, the constable’s van threw Lutchmeen Jugtha some 30 metres before coming to a stop.

She was killed instantly at the scene. Her son, Vijay, who was 54 at the time, was critically injured and was rushed to Flacq Hospital’s intensive care unit.

He succumbed to his injuries three weeks later. The mother and son were crossing a pedestrian crossing in front of the Lady Sushil Ramgoolam Mediclinic when they were hit.

The constable claimed he was driving at speed due to an “emergency.” He was arrested for involuntary manslaughter and released on conditional bail with a bond of Rs 10,000.

Civil Case and Compensation

In August 2024, the Supreme Court ordered the state to pay damages to the victims’ relatives in a separate civil case.

Lutchmeen Jugtha’s 10 children each received Rs 500,000, and her husband, Vijay Jugtha, received Rs 1.7 million. The family had filed a complaint citing loss of future income and moral prejudice.

Source: Defi Media