Five suspects were placed in preventive detention on Friday, July 17 in Antsirabe following their presentation before the prosecutor's office. They are suspected of participating in an armed attack that claimed the life of a 15-year-old teenager, son of a beverage wholesaler. The mother was also wounded. This judicial decision is the result of a thorough investigation conducted by the Regional Judicial Police Service (SRPJ) of Vakinankaratra.

The tragedy occurred on June 29 in Tsivatrinikamo. Two individuals arrived on a motorcycle and entered the merchant's yard as she was returning home. When she refused to hand over her money, the woman was shot. Her son, who was revising for his BEPC exam and had just gone out to feed the dog, was also hit. Transported to the hospital, he died shortly after admission.

The bandits made off with 55 million ariary. However, 67.23 million ariary that remained in the victim's car were found and returned by police.

Investigations revealed that the criminals had already attempted a first attack on June 25 but abandoned it due to the presence of witnesses. They then prepared a second operation, recruited additional accomplices, and disabled surveillance cameras by causing a power outage the day before the crime.

Police were able to identify the motorcycle used by one of the criminals, which allowed them to trace the other group members. The five suspects were arrested and placed in preventive detention.

The fokontany president of Tsivatrinikamo, Richard Rakotofiringa, believes the attack had been carefully planned. He recalls that the family had been targeted for a long time. At Easter 2025, criminals on scooters had stolen money entrusted to an employee. On June 25, the wholesaler's car tires had been punctured with nails. On several occasions, unknown individuals on motorcycles had also followed her. About ten days before the attack, the mother had even been chased by car by individuals who eventually gave up. This time, the robbers opened fire without hesitation.