5 Indian-origin men in Singapore face slashing charge

Five Indian-origin men in Singapore were on Friday slapped with the charge of slashing another Indian-origin man and causing severe injuries.

The accused -- Sharvin Raj Suraj, Haresh Shanmuganathan, Arjun Retnavelu, Victor Alexander Arumugam and Dinesh Kumar Ruvy -- were charged with one count of rioting with deadly weapons. They were accused of attacking 26-year-old Dhines Selvarajah with baton, a chopper and a parang in ethnic district of Little India on Wednesday.

Earlier reports had claimed a samurai sword was also used in the attack but there was no mention of that in court documents, Channel News Asia reported.

If found guilty, the men can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned. Two other men were yet to be charged as investigations against them were ongoing.

The incident was believed to have occurred over a personal feud. The victim was taken to a hospital with multiple slash wounds on the back of his head, body, hands and legs.

All men will be back in court on August 3.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam called the attack "horrific" and praised the police for their swift action.

--IANS

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