Man attacks 11-yr-old over broken salt jar

In a fit of anger, a 25-year-old man in Govandi almost chopped off the thumb of an 11-year-old girl for breaking a jar of salt on Tuesday night. The Shivaji Nagar police have registered a case of attempt to murder against the accused and are on the lookout for him.

The victim has been identified as Shifa Ahmad Shaikh, a resident of Bainganwadi area in Govandi. According to the police, at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday, Shifa and her friends were playing with a balloon close to the Chinese food stall owned by the accused. The balloon kept going towards the stall which infuriated the accused. On one such occasion, when Shifa went to take the balloon, she accidentally broke a jar of salt. The accused then slit Shifa's thumb with the knife he was holding. When her loud crying attracted people to the spot, the accused fled.

"The girl's finger has been damaged totally and she is recuperating in the hospital. We have registered a case against him and our efforts to nab him are on," said Deepak Pagare, Senior Police Inspector, Shivaji Nagar police station.