In a shocker, a middle-aged man went on a stabbing spree in a Mumbai residential building on Friday, attacking five persons, of which three have succumbed, and two others are seriously injured, police said here.
The attacker, identified as Chetan Gala, 54, has been arrested after the mayhem which occurred around 3.30 pm, sending panic waves in the locality. According to officials of the Dr. D. B. Marg Police Station, the incident occurred at the Parvati Mansion, an old-style building with common passages in a residential neighbourhood of Grant Road
Locals who shot videos showed Gala rushing to another person on the second floor of the building and repeatedly stabbing him till he collapsed in a pool of blood. Then he nonchalantly walked down to the first floor where another man was descending the stairs even as the crowds below warned him to run to safety as the attacker was coming behind him.
At least two other panicky residents could be seen running around with the people assembled below screaming at the attacker. The exact motives behind the serial killing bout is not clear and the police have lodged a FIR and probing further.
The injured were rushed to the Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and the BMC's Nair Hospital nearby where the condition of two is said to be serious. Police said that the accused Gala suddenly stepped out brandishing a knife and started stabbing people at random around, targeting at least five, among them a husband-wife couple.
Horrified locals called up the police and a team rushed there to take control, and managed to overpower him soon. Police are recording witnesses statements and checking the accused's relationship with his family, financial angles, and even mental health issues.