A 37-year-old Indian national, suspected of attacking a 58-year-old compatriot with a cleaver on Nowogrodzka Street in Warsaw, has been in custody since Saturday. The prosecutor’s office has not officially disclosed a motive; the media have unofficially reported financial disputes.
The attack took place on Thursday, 22 October, at around 12:30 p.m. on Nowogrodzka Street, behind the Novotel hotel. As TVN24 reports, the 58-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries. According to RMF FM, his condition is serious but stable.
Charge and Detention
The suspect was detained several hours later in a car park next to one of the shopping centres in Wola, the police announced. On Saturday, 24 October, he was charged with attempted murder at the Warsaw Śródmieście District Prosecutor’s Office. Piotr Antoni Skiba, spokesperson for the Warsaw Regional Prosecutor’s Office, said the man allegedly struck the victim several times with a cleaver with a 17 cm blade, targeting the head, neck and arms. A forensic physician classified the injuries as moderate.
The suspect has pleaded not guilty and refused to give testimony. The same day, the court ordered three months’ pre-trial detention, citing the risk of flight and collusion, as well as the high potential penalty. Attempted murder carries a sentence of up to life imprisonment.
What About the Motive
On Saturday, Prosecutor Skiba said the motive has not yet been established, but it is known that the men knew each other. According to the prosecutor’s office, the suspect lives in Poland legally with his family. Unofficially, as RMF FM reported, followed by Onet, financial settlements may have been behind the incident. The prosecutor’s office has not confirmed this.
What Next
The investigation is being conducted by the Warsaw Śródmieście District Prosecutor’s Office. The suspect is presumed innocent. Available official statements indicate that the case involves a conflict between acquaintances, not a random attack on a passer-by. Earlier, a man with an axe, recognised by a police officer on a bus, also made headlines in the capital – that is a separate case.
