London: An Indian-origin businessman has described his shock as he found the victim of a stabbing at the doorstep of his West London home on Saturday evening.
Raj Grover, who runs a property business in the area, found the 60-year-old victim, who was yet to be identified, bleeding after an attack in Southall a suburb populated by numerous Indian migrants from Punjab.
Grover gave first aid while his wife called an ambulance, but the victim succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.
"He rang the bell and I went out. He was full of blood, and then I was running to pick up a towel. I put the towel on and I was pressing to stop the blood, then my wife came out, we called the ambulance and the police," said Grover, who said he was getting ready to head out for his own birthday party at the time.
His son, who was the first to see the victim, screamed for his father to come to the door. As Raj Grover tried to help, the stab victim urged him to call his wife, who arrived soon after.
"His wife mentioned he (the victim) went to the pub, I don't know what happened in the pub just around the corner he was on his way back and somebody stabbed him twice, stabbed him two times with a knife on the stomach and on his side," he was quoted as saying in the local media.
"God bless him, he was a very nice gentleman," Grover said about the victim who lived near his home. Scotland Yard said homicide detectives from its specialist crime unit have been informed after officers were called to the scene on Saturday.
"A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in hospital under police guard being treated for minor injuries," the Metropolitan Police statement said.
It noted: "Officers, London Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance Service attended and treated a man in his 60s suffering with a stab wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"His next of kin have been informed. A post-mortem will be carried out in due course."
The latest stabbing incident in London comes as the new UK home secretary, Priti Patel, announced plans to pave the way for new powers to tackle violent crime in Britain earlier this week.
She opened a consultation process that would lead to changes in the UK's Offensive Weapons Act to give courts additional powers to issue control orders, or effective curfews, related to knives, corrosive substances such as acid and other offensive weapons.
"Our Offensive Weapons Act will help to stop acids and knives making their way onto our streets and being used to carry out horrifying attacks," said Patel, the senior-most Indian-origin minister in the UK Cabinet.
She recently also clashed with London Mayor Sadiq Khan over the issue. Patel wrote to the mayor, asking him to ensure sufficient resources were being devoted to tackle violent crime in the UK capital.
In her letter, which came ahead of their first official meeting next week, Patel said, "I want to see what robust plans you have in place to reduce violent crime in the capital. I understand there have been 90 homicides so far this year. That is 90 too many."
Khan, a member of the Opposition Labour Party, has in turn blamed the ruling Conservatives for imposing damaging funding cuts to essential security services.
"After years of government cuts to the police and preventative services, it is deeply disappointing that the home secretary [Patel] is playing political games rather than setting out how ministers will urgently address violent crime in London," said a spokesperson for the London Mayor.
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