Vadodara: A foreign student from Parul University, hailing from Harare, Zimbabwe, has been arrested for assaulting a 58-year-old man from Halol. The accused, identified as Washington Takura, severely beat the victim, leaving him bloodied and with a serious injury to his left eye. Takura then transferred Rs. 14,000 from the victim’s account. When the police arrived, the accused also attacked two police personnel before being apprehended by the Kapurai Police.

Rameshbhai Agarwal, 58, a native of Halol and manager of a private construction site in Vadodara, said, “Yesterday (November 13) at 2 p.m., I was sitting in my office at Dove Deck Society near Ajwa Chowk when Washington Takura, a Zimbabwean student studying at Parul University, came in. He asked, ‘Where is Akashbhai?’ I told him Akashbhai wasn’t in and asked what he wanted. He then told me, in his language, that he wanted to get back a deposit. I told him to come back after five o’clock when Akashbhai would return, and he left.”

“I later went to check on work in another flat, and at that time, the student was arguing with Akashbhai’s mother. I told him, ‘The ladies are alone in the house; why are you arguing with them? When Akashbhai arrives, talk to him.’ He got angry with me and started beating me. My nose started bleeding, and he tore my shirt. He dragged me to the lift, took me downstairs, and beat me further. He then took me back to my office. I don’t know how I survived. Once in the office, he sat at my desk, took my phone, and demanded that I open Google Pay. He entered my password and transferred 14,000 rupees from my account. While I was covered in blood, he asked for my second account number. During this time, Akash’s younger brother arrived with the police. The student even raised his hands against the police,” Rameshbhai added.

Jay Tiwari, a witness to the incident, said, “When I arrived at the scene, the student was holding my uncle, who was badly beaten and bloodied. The student was forcing my uncle to transfer money, and after two or three failed attempts, he managed to transfer around 14-15 thousand rupees from his phone. I called the police, and the student tried to run after attacking them as well, but he was caught at the gate.”

Tiwari continued, “We called an ambulance because my uncle had been severely beaten. These people cause a lot of trouble. We treat them as guests, but they attack our elders. This student studies at a private university.”

After the complaint was filed, Kapurai police arrested the accused student, Washington Takura, and began further investigations. It was also revealed that the accused slapped and kicked policeman Prithvi Singh, causing him to fall and sustain injuries. Another officer, Rameshbhai Jemalbhai, was also slapped. DeshGujarat