The incident occured as Shubham Garg was walking along the Pacific Highway in Australia. (Representational image via Unsplash)INDIA ON Friday said that the Indian High Commission in Australia is in touch with local authorities over the stabbing of an Indian student in Sydney, and added that it expects action to be taken against the perpetrators.
Shubham Garg, a 28-year-old from Agra who is pursuing PhD in Australia, was stabbed multiple times by a man as he was walking along Sydney’s Pacific Highway, around 10.30 pm on October 6, New South Wales Police Force said in a statement.
Police have arrested 27-year-old suspect Daniel Norwood, who allegedly demanded cash from Garg before stabbing him, according to local media reports.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that the Indian High Commission in Australia is in touch with the local authorities over the stabbing of Garg, and added that it expects action to be taken against the perpetrators.
The MEA’s official spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, said a suspect was taken into custody in connection with the incident. He said the Indian High Commission in Canberra and the consulate in Sydney are in close touch with the local authorities.
“It is a sad incident. We are aware of it. He (Garg) is in a hospital and treatment is going on,” Bagchi said. An official of the Indian mission met Garg at the hospital and offered consular services, he added. “We have got to know that one person has been taken into custody… We expect that the matter is dealt with seriously,” Bagchi said.
He said the Indian mission is also in touch with Garg’s family in Agra and providing help in expediting their travel to Australia. Asked if it was a racially-motivated attack, he said, “I do not want to speculate, our focus is on his treatment and the culprit is nabbed.”
Garg suffered multiple stab wounds to his face, chest, and abdomen. He sought assistance from a nearby house before being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital. He underwent surgery and is in a serious but stable condition, the NSW Police Force statement said.
Following inquiries by detectives, a search warrant was executed on a home on the Pacific Highway at Greenwich on Sunday. Norwood was arrested at the scene and taken to Chatswood Police Station, where he was charged with one count of attempted murder after the alleged stabbing, the statement said. A number of items were seized from the home and have been taken for forensic examination, it said.