Melbourne: An Indian taxi driver was brutally
attacked by two men who punched and slashed him with scissors
in a robbery attempt in Victoria province, a media report said
on Friday even as Australia pledged to ensure safety of Indian
students who faced a string of assaults here recently.
The men threatened taxi driver Vadbhag Singh, 24, with
scissors inside his taxi in Richmond two weeks ago, demanding
cash and a GPS unit from him, police said.
Detective Senior Constable Dean Higgins says the attack
lasted for about two minutes, ABC online reported.
"The driver kept driving trying to work his way to the
Richmond Police Station, he didn`t know the area that well,"
Higgins said.
"The male in the backseat behind him has constantly hit
him, put his finger in his mouth and used what appears to be a
pair of scissors, or half a pair of scissors and cut him
several times," he said.
Police have released images of the suspects.
Singh says his taxi was not fitted with a security screen
at the time of the attack. "I`m still in very much in favour
of these screens, although they are very uncomfortable."
The report came even as External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna, on a five-day visit to Australia, said he has
received assurances at the highest levels in the government
that every Indian student in the country would be protected. A
series of racially motivated attacks on students here has
caused outrage in India.
Bureau Report
