Durban - A Mount Edgecombe Hare Krishna devotee was struck on the back of his head with an axe and then robbed, on the outskirts of Verulam on Wednesday.
There are conflicting reports, but Ugandrian Denzil Chinnapen, 40, had apparently stopped his van in Canelands near a sugar cane field when he was attacked.
A woman who was with him drove him to a library, a kilometre away, and summoned help.
According to police, the victim was in his van when an unknown man struck him on the head with an axe.
Police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker, said Chinnapen sustained serious head injuries.
“Two cellphones and cash were taken. No arrests were made and investigations are continuing,” Naicker said.
Prem Balram, spokesman for local security company, Reaction Unit South Africa, said he had received conflicting reports of what had happened.
“We received a call that a man was attacked with an axe in dense bush between Verulam and Tongaat.
“He had stopped to urinate in the bushes about 1km away from the library. When he jumped off he was attacked. He had been transported in his vehicle, by a woman known to him, to the library,” Balram said.
He said Chinnapen’s cellphone and R5 000 cash were taken from a compartment in his van.
“An informer told us that the suspect threatened to kill the woman. It is unclear how he (the injured man) was loaded into the vehicle,” he said.
“We located the crime scene in the sugar cane fields after finding blood near an isolated cellphone tower. We could not find the suspect despite an intensive search.”
Netcare 911 spokesman, Chris Botha, said advanced life support paramedics arrived at the scene and found the man lying on the ground with life threatening injuries.
He was taken to uMhlanga Hospital.
Chinnapen’s wife, Kasturie, was too distraught to speak to the Daily News on Wednesday night. Family spokesman, Deepak Anand, said they were in shock.
Chinnapen is a devotee of the Hare Krishna movement in Phoenix.
“Chinnapen travels to meet clients. He could have been visiting a client in the area. He is in a stable condition but more tests will reveal the extent of his injuries,” Anand said.
“He is a person you can count on to help. He is a loving and caring man.”
Naicker said a case of robbery had been opened at Verulam SAPS.
Daily News