Gang of 6 attacks TV journalist near his home

MUMBAI: A TV journalist returning home late at night was attacked by a six-member gang in the Nana Chowk area of Gamdevi in the early hours of Sunday. Herman Gomes, 26, who works with Times Now, got six stitches around his right eye after being hit with knuckle dusters.
Gomes, who has extensively reported on terror by extremists — both left and right wing — said he was clueless about the reasons and the men behind the attack. Sources in the Gamdevi police said they have identified the attackers based on footage of CCTV cameras in the area and are hopeful of nabbing them by Monday.

Police said the attack happened outside Gomes’s home around 1.30am. “They first pulled my friend out of the taxi and when I got out they started abusing and hitting me. They were saying something in Marathi but they did not seem to be drunk. They were waiting for me,” Gomes told TOI. Times Now is part of the Times group.

Gomes said the ordeal continued when he and his friend went to Gamdevi police station to lodge a complaint. Gomes said an officer asked him whether he had evidence/proof of the assault. When TOI asked about this, a senior police officer rejected the claim. “Gomes wanted to go to a private hospital, so a police officer took him to Bhatia hospital,” the officer said. The Gamdevi police have registered a case of assault and rioting against unidentified men. Gomes said he immediately tweeted about the ordeal, tagging the Mumbai police and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who have assured action.

City police commissioner Subodh Jaiswal has formed a special team to crack the case. “Several teams have fanned out to various places to locate them. We hope to nab the culprits very soon ,” said a senior police officer.

A senior official in the CM’s office said Fadnavis has taken serious note of the attack and has directed a senior official to oversee the case.