The horrible news has shaken the whole country. All Mauritians have condemned the sordid rape and murder of two-year old Marie-Anita in Cité la Chaux in Mahebourg. Although the two main suspects have been arrested by the police, the inhabitants of Mahebourg are far from satisfied. They want to be sure the criminals will get adequate punishment.

Mervyn Lotoah, 19 years old, is provisionally accused of rape and murder while Ludovic Prodigue, 14, is suspected of having sodomized and killed the two-year-old girl. The latter was the first to confess his crime. He admitted to committing the rape and murder but claimed he was not alone. He gave the name of his accomplice, who was then arrested. On Thurs day, both suspects were taken back to the scene of the crime and gave details on where they had committed the odious act and where they had thrown the dead body in the river.

Marie-Anita’s mother realised that her daughter had disappeared on Sunday afternoon and immediately called the police. The search started as from Sunday but the body was only found on Tuesday. At first sight, the police thought the death was due to drowning. But the forensic scientist, Dr Satish Boolell, soon realised that the victim had been raped and battered to death. The rape was so violent that the little girl had serious wounds in her private parts, all over her body and a fractured skull.

When they were questioned by the police, the two young men said they had had some problems with Marie-Anita’s father in law and wanted to take revenge. This is the only explanation they have given so far.

Mervyn Lotoah’s mother, Guiland, is still in a state of shock. She says that her son left home on 10th June and she had not seen him since. She relates that he had never given her any problems until recently when he started to go out too often.

In Mahebourg, the inhabitants are both worried and angry about what happened to the little girl. Not only was Marie-Anita well-known in the village but they can’t understand how such young boys could be capable of violence. “Murderers, rapists!” were some insults they shouted when the two suspects returned for the reconstruction. They had always thought they were safe in the village and this incident now makes them feel insecure. These two boys were inhabitants of the village and no one had ever had any problems with them… Some villagers even threatened they would go and sack the suspects’ parents’ houses.

Afraid of scandals and repression</B>