Durban: A 54-year-old Chatsworth man said he was lucky not to have lost his eye when he was robbed and stabbed four times near his home.
Rasik Purmasar, an administrative clerk for a local company, said he was returning home after buying airtime from the shop on Moorcross Drive when two men approached him.
Before he realised he was being robbed, he was face down on the floor – this was after one of them had kicked him from behind.
He said the men repeatedly kicked him while putting their hands into his pockets. He said he blanked out when he saw a third man swipe a knife at him.
Purmasar was stabbed four times above his eyebrows and on Tuesday still had a swollen left eye from the beating. He received 12 stitches to all his stab wounds.
“It all happened so fast. I was in a lot of pain but got off the ground and walked home. Blood was pouring down my face.
’’I was blinded. I could have lost my eye just for my cellphone and a few rands that I had in my pocket. I am still in shock,” he said.
Purmasar, who has two children, has run the Comrades Marathon between Durban and Pietermaritzburg five times.
His wife, Sheevana Purmasar, said she was screaming hysterically when her husband came to the front door with blood pouring from his wounds.
“From our WhatsApp street chat, we heard there were other incidents of robbery in the vicinity in the past month,” she said.
Despite the Chatsworth police station visiting his home, Purmasar declined to open a case, stating that he had no faith in the police catching anyone. He also could not identify the robbers.
Moorton Community Policing Forum interim chairperson Rocky Pillay said they were informed of the robbery on Monday. Pillay urged victims of crime to report them to the police so that crime hotspots can be identified and police patrols can be increased. Pillay also blamed non-functioning street lights for aiding criminal behaviour.
“Bilal Khan, the vice chairperson, has established 40 street watch committees and WhatsApp groups in the area. We are all networking on WhatsApp. We must stand together. Unity is strength. We stand divided, that is why criminals are taking advantage,” Pillay said.
The Daily News