From Power to Prison

Handcuffs, Helmets, and Scandal: The Fall of Police Chief Ashik Jagai

Police Superintendent Ashik Jagai appeared before the Port Louis court today, August 14, 2025, under exceptionally high security. Clad in a helmet and bulletproof vest, he was escorted by a robust police contingent as agitated onlookers jeered his arrival. Jagai remains in custody after the Financial Crimes Commission opposed his release, and he is scheduled to return to court on August 21.

He faces three provisional charges under the "Public Official Using Office for Gratification" offense, following allegations that he authorised excessive "Reward Money" payments — one of approximately Rs 7 million in November 2022, and another of about Rs 17 million between April and September 2024 — despite only Rs 292,300 being justifiable. This probe is part of a broader investigation into potentially Rs 250 million in dubious reward disbursements tied to the police force.

Meanwhile, the scandal has revealed systemic exploitation of the "Reward Money" system — originally intended to compensate informants and police officers — which has spiraled into a scheme of looting public funds, involving massive, poorly documented payouts. Investigations by the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) show alarming patterns: falsified documents, large transfers, and payouts to personal accounts — such as an ACP allegedly holding over Rs 107 million in a single account.

But perhaps the most pressing question now is: what about CID Sergeant Daniel Telvar and his colleagues from the Central CID in Port Louis? Could he, possibly together with his colleagues, have played a role — whether by facilitating, concealing, or benefiting from — these illicit Reward Money transactions? Or was he merely a peripheral figure, distanced from the inner workings of the unfolding fraud? If that is the case, then again, police officials in Mauritius show the way from power to prison.

Telvar's name has surfaced amid serious allegations of misconduct and abuse of power: obstructing investigations, leveraging private photos to blackmail suspects, delaying interrogations, coercing statements, misusing police vehicles for personal errands, and acting dishonestly under oath — leading to the filing of a formal criminal complaint against him.