Organised Crime In Fiji
p. 37 · Read in the full issue
Indian and Five Natives Convicted
From Our Own Correspondent.
SUVA, August 16.
QUITE an organised crime “racket” was disclosed in the Police Court recently, when Parbhu, an Indian storekeeper, was called on to explain how he came into possession of a large quantity of goods found in his store, which were suspected of having been stolen. He failed to satisfy the Acting Chief Police Magistrate (Mr.
W. Burrows) that he had come by them honestly, and he was fined £ 50, plus three months in gaol.
A sequel to the Lower Court hearing of the case was the imprisonment of five Fijian youths for terms varying from one month to six months for theft of various articles from local stores. In their state ments in court, these youths said that Parbhu paid them to steal from the vari ous stores in town, and placed the goods brought to him in his own stock. In the execution of a search warrant, the police found large quantities of toothpaste, safety razors, watches, pencils, brillian tine etc., in Parbhu’s store, most of which had been stolen from other establish ments in Suva and Nausori. The organ ised thieving apparently had been going on for some time.