'Razor man' on rampage sparks panic

When a terrified voice alerted the Delhi police’s control room on Sunday night about a man on a “stabbing” spree, already wounding more than a dozen people, the first question that the officers asked each other was: Is it lone-wolf terror attack?

It was only when an Emergency Response Vehicle, full with armed policemen, arrived at the spot in Outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri area, there was a sigh of relief. The attacker turned out to be a drunk labourer. He did not have a knife. He carried a razor to slash his victims. He was arrested, and the injured were rushed to hospital.

The attacks happened at around 9 pm and immediately sparked panic in the area. “Initially we thought, he would be a strong attacker, and a team of policemen was rushed to the spot. We found that the man was drunk, overpowered by locals. He was thrashed before being handed over to the police,” said a senior police officer.

The accused was identified as Shubham, a 25-year-old who works at a shoe factory in the same area. “Six of his victims — one of them critical — had to be taken to hospital. The razor he used was recovered from him. He has been booked for attempts to murder,” the officer said.

The police also got a medical examination done for the accused, and he was found drunk. On Monday, when he was better, he was arrested and grilled by the police to check his background.

“We are trying to know his motive behind the attacks. So far, he has said that he was not in his senses and therefore attacked people,” the officer said.

Cops are watchful to thwart any potential lone-wolf attack in the National Capital. At many of recent meetings, strategies to foil this particular modus operandi have been discussed, following lone-wolf attacks in other countries, responsibilities for which were later claimed by terror outfits.