Mumbai: Stabbed, man walks into hospital holding knife stuck in abdomen

Nitesh Walekar’s friends immediately took him to a nearby hospital. Pic/Navneet Barhate

A 30-year-old man walked to a hospital late on Tuesday with a knife pierced in his abdomen, after he was stabbed by a 17-year-old, over a road rage incident days before. The knife was lodged between two ribs and took 7 hours to extricate during surgery due to complications. The police detained the minor and produced him before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The attack

On Tuesday around 9.45pm, the boy stabbed Nitesh Walekar at an eatery, Alpha Sandwich near CHM College, Ulhasnagar and fled. Walekar's friends took him in an auto to Central Hospital which was 15 minutes away. People were shocked at the hospital to see Walekar walk in, holding the knife pierced in his ribs on the left side. The businessman was stabilised at the hospital but his family shifted him to Criticare Hospital for surgery.

"The injured person was serious as he lost a lot of blood and the knife was pierced between two ribs. After completing the due process we operated on him. The knife had just missed the lungs which could have been more disastrous" said Dr Prakash Kaurani of Criticare Hospital. Walekar has been admitted in the ICU of the hospital.

The Central Police Station (Ulhasnagar) received information about the incident from the hospital and filed a case of attempt to murder against unknown persons. Two teams were formed to track the attacker. Based on the accounts of witnesses and CCTV footage, cops managed to track down the boy from Ulhasnagar, in the wee hours of Wednesday. During his interrogation, the police came to know the reason behind the attack.

Police speak

"A couple of days previously, the minor boy was riding his bike and suddenly came in front of Walekar in the market. Walekar, who was also riding his bike, thought the boy could have dashed into him and an altercation took place. On Tuesday night when the minor went to eat a sandwich with his friends, he saw Walekar there and began arguing with him again. The heated argument led to the stabbing," said Madhukar Kad, senior inspector, Central Police Station.

The police had formerly booked the minor under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 504 (breach of peace) and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Police Act. He was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

17
The age of the boy who attacked the businessman