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The Major Crimes Investigation Team (MCIT) and the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) are investigating the death of Jonathan Richard Kah Shun Koo Yan Too, 40, who was shot and killed on the night of Thursday, June 11 at the Au Villars 'chassé' in Midlands. At this stage, the theory of a criminal act, possibly linked to poachers, is favored.

The body of this accountant living in Rose-Hill was discovered Thursday evening, lying in a pool of blood near his vehicle, a Land Rover Defender whose doors were open. He had a gunshot wound to the chest and was wearing hearing protection equipment.

According to initial information, Jonathan Koo Yan Too was on the scene around 4:30 p.m. to feed deer. He managed this “hunted”. At the same time, he reported on a WhatsApp group that he had heard two gunshots and indicated that he was going to check the situation. He will no longer give any sign of life.

Worried, four members of the group went there in the evening, where they discovered the body before alerting the police and emergency services. Doctors from the Urgent Medical Aid Service could only confirm the death.

Units from the MCIT, the Curepipe/Midlands CID, the Divisional Crime Intelligence Unit (DCIU) as well as the scientific police (Soco) carried out a sweep of the premises in the evening and the next morning. The first findings point investigators towards the hypothesis of a shot carried out at a distance, possibly from an elevated position, while the victim was facing the shooter.

The autopsy, carried out by the head of the forensic department, Dr Sudesh Kumar Gungadin, assisted by Dr Maxwell Monvoisin, concluded that death was due to a “gunshot wound to the chest”.

Investigators also looked into the material elements. A Remington rifle was found in its case in the back seat of the vehicle. A used cartridge as well as an unused cartridge were found in the weapon, which was seized. Other personal effects — a sum of Rs 1,000, a knife, a watch, a cell phone and a hearing protection headset — were placed under seal.

Initially, the possibility of a rifle taken by the attacker(s) was considered. She was finally dismissed Friday afternoon. Checks established that Jonathan Koo Yan Too had only taken one weapon when he went out on Thursday, contrary to his usual practice. The second rifle was located at his home, in Beau-Bassin, in a weapons safe. As part of the investigations, the police used images from surveillance cameras located at the entrance to the “chasé” as well as those from a nearby service station. Several sequences preceding the victim's arrival were examined. Investigators are seeking to reconstruct the sequence of events and identify the people who accessed the site Thursday afternoon.

On the ground, operations mobilized, from

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