Assailant repeatedly asks for son, then asks for water, barges in and attacks couple

Mysore/Mysuru: Two strangers, a man and a woman, knocked on the doors of a jeweller’s house in city under the pretext of giving an invitation for the house-warming ceremony yesterday.

Incidentally, the two strangers also made a bid to attack the jeweller with a knife, resulting in injuries to both the jeweller and his wife who came to his help.

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon at the residence of the jeweller, identified as Babulal, a 57-year-old resident of KHB Layout in Hootagalli. The injured Babulal and his wife Kamalabai, aged 52, were treated as outpatients at a private hospital.

Around 12.30 pm, a man and a woman came to Babulal’s residence. When Babulal opened the door, the man claimed that he wanted to deliver a house-warming invitation to his son Harish. He then requested Babulal to call his son.

When Babulal informed that his son Harish was not at home, the man barged inside and handed Babulal an empty bottle, asking him to fill it with water.

Taking the empty bottle Kamalabai went inside to fill it with water. During this time, the man allegedly sprayed a chemical on Babulal and proceeded to attack him with a knife, injuring Babulal’s hand. On hearing screams, Babulal’s wife rushed to her husband’s help, but was overpowered by the man, who immobilised her and caused her injuries due to his tight grip.

Meanwhile, Babulal rushed outside and alerted his neighbours. However, by that time, the woman who had accompanied the assailant had already fled the scene. As bystanders gathered, the stranger also fled. A youth tried in vain to nab the fleeing miscreant.

Inspector Ravishankar and his team from the Vijayanagar Police Station arrived at the scene to gather information from Babulal and his wife. The couple informed the Police that they were unfamiliar with the identities of the man and the woman, though the duo had frequently enquired about their son Harish. Subsequently, upon revealing that Harish was not at home, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and inflicted injuries.

Babulal had not opened his jewellery store yesterday as it was Amavasya. He was at his home located merely three buildings away from the shop. His son Harish had been visiting his wife’s place in Tumakuru and returned in the evening after being informed of the incident.

It is said that the stranger had come with a knife and a fake invitation, with the intention to harm Harish. As Harish was not present, the man directed his aggression towards Babulal and his wife. Babulal’s swift action to alert his neighbours prevented a potentially harmful incident from escalating further.

Vijayanagar Police have registered an attempt to murder case and looking for clues. Due to the absence of CCTV cameras at the house, the Police are reviewing the footage from nearby CCTV cameras to gather additional information.