A 25-year-old student who allegedly stabbed a robber at a forest area near Vasant Vihar on January 17 had acted in self-defence, the police said on Monday.
Seiminlun Haokip, who is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital in south Delhi, was held at knifepoint by the robber.
When he resisted the robbery attempt, the accused slashed his abdomen with the knife. Despite being severely injured, Mr. Haokip managed to fight on until he could overpower the attacker and stab him with his own knife, the police said.
Accused succumbed
Later, when the cops found the robber based on the victim’s statement, he had succumbed to his injuries.
Mr. Haokip, a resident of Manipur, stays with his wife in Munirka. He has been pursuing a course in business administration and working part-time at a private company.
On Thursday night, he had taken a shortcut through a forested area to the bus stop where his wife, who works at a mall in south Delhi, would be dropped by her office cab.
While he was walking down, the robber held a knife at him and asked him to handover his wallet and mobile phone.
When Mr. Haokip hesitated, the man swung the knife at his abdomen leaving a gash.
This is when Mr. Haokip decided to attack the man and get away as he knew self-defence tactics.
Being well-built, Mr. Haokip could grab hold of the robber’s arm, twist it and snatch the knife.
However, the robber kept resisting and during the scuffle ran the knife into his chest, Mr. Haokip told the cops.
Mr. Haokip panicked and managed to drag himself to the bus stop and collapsed. His wife had reached by then. Seeing him bleeding, she rushed Mr. Haokip to Safdarjung Hospital after which the police were informed.
Based on his statement, a team from the Vasant Vihar police station reached the scene and found the robber lying in a pool of blood. Sources say that he was identified as Shakir.
Forensic evidence
The police would corroborate Mr. Haokip’s version from the forensic evidences lifted from the scene. An FIR under sections of armed robbery was registered based on Mr. Haokip’s statement. Sources say that Shakir is a resident of the area and is known to be a criminal. The police would however register a case of homicide against Mr. Haokip and also mention the act to be in self-defence.
