An Indian-origin boy celebrating his 16th birthday was stabbed in an unprovoked attack in Melbourne, following which police have arrested a 20 year-old suspect.
Rhyan Singh and his two friends were playing basketball with friends in Tarneit, a suburb in Melbourne, when they were randomly ambushed by a gang armed with machetes on Thursday evening, TV channel 7News reported.
A group of about seven to eight males asked Singh to give his new Nike Air Jordan sneakers, which he had received as a gift, in addition to his and friends' mobile phones.
Singh was stabbed in his ribs, arms, hand and back, and was hit in the back of his head.
"An altercation occurred and the youths were stabbed a number of times before the offenders left the scene," the Victoria Police said in a statement.
"The victims were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while the offenders were last seen in a dark coloured vehicle," the police added.
"When we heard this news our world just collapsed,” Singh's mother told 7News.
“When he said ‘mummy I love you, I think I’m dying, I’ve been stabbed, I think I’m dying’ I was like, ‘that’s it, that’s it, we’ve lost him forever’,” Singh's heartbroken mother told the channel.
According to Victoria Police, officers from Alliance Taskforce executed a warrant at an address in Commonwealth Drive, Aintree on Friday and arrested a 20-year-old man.
He has been charged with armed robbery, recklessly causing serious injury, police said.