Manipuri youth stabbed, robbed in Delhi (Third Lead)

A 22-year-old youth from Manipur was stabbed and robbed here early Tuesday, in the third incident of a person from the northeast being targeted in a fortnight. The incident was not "racially motivated", police said.

Khupsiangen was returning to his Paryavaran Complex home in south Delhi's Mehrauli area from a church nearby when he was attacked around 3.30 a.m., barely 500 metres from his home.

"This is a case of robbery and the attack was not racially motivated," Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner B.S. Jaiswal told IANS.

Nido Tania, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, died Jan 30 after he was attacked a day earlier over his appearance. On Sunday, two youths from Manipur were beaten up by a group of motorbike riders.

Khupsiangen was assaulted and robbed of his mobile phone and wallet by five men at knife-point. He sustained a one-cm deep and two-cm wide knife wound in his abdomen, he said.

Jaiswal said Khupsiangen somehow managed to reach his C-77 flat after the incident where the building's guard Prem found him bleeding and informed his room partner over phone.

"Khupsiangen's room partner along with some of his other associates reached his house and they admitted the victim to Saket City hospital," said Jaiswal.

Hospital authorities informed police about the incident around 6.30 a.m.

"He was rushed in a state of shock at 4 a.m. with a stab wound in the lower chest and abdomen. He was stabilised and taken up for emergency abdominal surgery which was performed successfully," said a statement by Saket City hospital.

"His vital parameters are being maintained and the patient continues to be under intensive care monitoring," it added.

Police said the youth is an orphan and was staying in Delhi for the past four years in a rented accommodation with a friend. He works in an NGO in west Delhi's Dwarka area.

Jaiswal said Khupsiangen is a Class 8 dropout and has been staying at his current address for around five months.

He said that five police teams have been constituted to probe the case and over two dozen people have been detained till now.

A case has been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 397 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.