A man was violently stabbed multiple times during an altercation near Kaloor bus stand here on Wednesday around 7 a.m.
The victim, identified as Akhil, 24, of Ambalamedu, was a member of the Haritha Karma Sena deployed by the Kochi Corporation to collect waste from households. He was on his daily rounds when he was confronted by the accused who could only be identified as Ashique.
“An altercation from the previous night seems to have led to the stabbing. The accused has no permanent residence in the city and is reportedly from Palakkad. He used to work in an abattoir at the Kathrikadavu market till a few weeks ago before being asked to leave. We suspect him to be of an unstable mind,” North police sources said.
The police have no idea where he works now and suspect that he used to live in the street. They have registered a case for attempt to murder. That the accused has no residence and does not even seem to use a mobile phone have made it tough for the police to track him down. They are also examining CCTV footage.
According to eyewitness account, the assaulter had fled the scene with the victim collapsed on the ground. The police team, which reached the scene, rushed him to a private hospital where his condition remains very serious.
“He has multiple stab wounds to his chest, hands, behind the thighs, and on the head. He was subjected to an emergency thoracotomy surgery, an open chest procedure. The wound on the chest was really deep and had stopped just millimetres away from the heart. He also seems to have ruptured his lungs,” said hospital sources.
