‘My hand was hanging by a thread’: Indian-origin man Saurabh Anand attacked by teen gang with a machete in Melbourne
Saurabh Anand, a 33-year-old Indian-origin man, was brutally attacked by a teen machete gang in Melbourne, leaving him almost lose his left hand had it not been for the doctors who reattached his hand after gruelling surgeries inserting screws. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the incident took place on July 19 when Saurabh was at Central Square Shopping Centre in Altona Meadows. He has now spoken about the harrowing incident he is getting nightmares about. According to the report, one of the teenagers rummaged his pockets for valuables when another punched him in his head and the third one pulled out a machete. “My instinctive reaction was to bring my arm up to protect my face and wrist. While I was trying to protect myself the machete just went through my wrist. The second attack, the machete went through my hand … the third went through my bone,” he said to Herald. “I was just trying to survive,” he said. “All I remember is the pain and my hand was … hanging by a thread. There were bone ruptures on my arm as well.”“I was just tumbling around, half-concussed, half-conscious.”Anand was rushed to hospital after he cried out for help to strangers passing by while the teen gang fled with his phone. Anand said doctors initially thought they would have to amputate his left hand, but surgeons were able to reattach it following hours of gruelling emergency surgery, which included inserting screws into his wrist and hand, the report said adding that he also suffered head injuries, broken bones in his left arm and a fracture in his spine. The report said several teenagers were arrested over Anand’s attack. One 14-year-old was remanded in custody until August 15. Two 15-year-olds were also charged with intentionally causing serious injury, robbery and unlawful assault. Police said the two were bailed and will face the Children’s Court on August 11.Anand told Herald that he was distressed after learning the two 15-year-olds were still out in the community after the attack.Anand said his is too afraid to return home and his partner is so traumatized that she was sleeping at the hospital. “Every time I close my eyes to go to sleep, I can see them around me, attacking me,” he said.
