The victim of a violent attempted abduction in Lalor last Thursday has appealed for public assistance to locate his attacker.
The 33-year-old Epping man returned to his parked car behind a restaurant near Lalor train station just before 9pm when he noticed one of the rear passenger doors was unlocked.
He said he opened the door to put his backpack inside the car when he saw a dark-coloured object in the foot well. After turning on the interior light a balaclava-clad man leap out at the victim and attacked him with a shape object, he said.
The Indian-born national said the offender continued to attack him despite repeated pleas to nearby police for assistance.
“I was really scared, I couldn’t get anything in my mind [sic]. I just screamed ‘Police.’ I saw some police at Lalor station, but it was rainy and windy, they couldn’t hear my voice,” he said at a press conference on Monday morning.
He sustained lacerations to his temple, cheek and neck.
Detective Senior Constable Matt McKenzie said it was fortunate the victim was able to defend himself and remove the offender’s balaclava, which ultimately led the offender to flee on foot in a northerly direction up High Street.
He said police found a set of handcuff’s in the back seat of the victim’s car and “various types of strapping, which could be used to incapacitate someone if they had the chance, so to us, highly concerning,” Detective senior Constable McKenzie said. “This person was lying in wait in the vehicle waiting for our victim to return.”
“It’s what you see in horror movies.”
He said detectives from the Whittlesea Criminal Investigation Unit were currently investigating the offender’s motivation.
“It’s a two scenario story at this stage, either our victim or the vehicle was targeted, or alternatively there is someone out there who is targeting random people in the community for this type of offending,” he said.
Detectives said preliminary investigations have shown the handcuffs found in the car were made in China and could have been purchased online.
Police have described the offender as being Indian or sub-continental in appearance, in his late 20s, approximately 170cm tall with an average build, with short, wavy, dark hair. He was unshaven, not wearing any distinctive jewellery and was dressed in a black hooded jacket and dark coloured pants.
If you have any information please call Crime Stoppers on 100 333 000.
