Man sneaks into Gurugram air force station, held, released, stabs 7-year-old

The stabbing occurred around 4.30pm as the boy returned from tuition. The man remains at large, and the police have issued an alert

A man, believed to be mentally challenged, was detained for sneaking into the air force station in Gurugram’s Sector 18 on Monday night, and was handed over to his relatives for treatment by the police the following day. However, he ended up stabbing a seven-year-old boy and his mother on a street in Sirhaul a few hours later on Tuesday evening, police officers familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

According to police officers associated with the case, the suspect, around 29 years old and from Jharkhand, worked as a housekeeping staff in an IT firm in Sector 18 and had been acting strangely for the last few days. (Representational Image)

The man remains at large, and the police have issued an alert, asking people to notify them immediately if they spot him anywhere.

According to police officers associated with the case, the suspect, around 29 years old and from Jharkhand, worked as a housekeeping staff in an IT firm in Sector 18 and had been acting strangely for the last few days. While his relatives live in Delhi, he lives in rented accommodation in Sirhaul, said officers.

According to investigators, the suspect somehow sneaked inside the air force station, where Armed Forces personnel apprehended him on Monday night and turned over to local police, who detained and interrogated him for several hours at Sector 18 police station.

On Tuesday morning, the police decided to release him and handed him over to his relatives after calling them from Delhi. “Until this point, the suspect had not shown any violent behaviour. We told his relatives to get him treated,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The officer added that the suspect appeared to have escaped his relatives’ custody while they were taking him away.

According to police, the stabbing occurred around 4.30pm as the boy returned from tuition. Investigators said that the boy was on his way home, with his mother Shobha Kumari, waiting outside on the street when the suspect, who was in a semi-clad state, approached from behind and stabbed him in the neck and hand with a sharp weapon.

According to police, the mother rushed to save her son, but the suspect also injured her. At least two more children returning from tuition were at the scene and fled.

The suspect also fled the scene, but a few residents followed him. He was later seen wandering around National Highway-48, according to police officers.

“When we arrived at his rented accommodation in Sirhaul after the incident, we discovered that all of his belongings had been taken away. The child’s parents have yet not submitted any formal complaint to police. We got to know about the incident after CCTV footage surfaced on social media,” said the senior police officer cited above.

On Wednesday evening, police released his photograph, asking residents to contact the police control room or Gurugram police immediately if they see him or have any information about him.

“People can dial 112 or contact the nearest police station,” said Subhash Boken, public relations officer of Gurugram police.