Puneet Singh said he feels scared running his Hamilton dairy with the rising rates of crime. Photo / Caitlan Johnston
Puneet Singh said he feels scared running his Hamilton dairy with the rising rates of crime. Photo / Caitlan Johnston
A Hamilton dairy worker, described as a cheerful man, has been left traumatised after having his fingers severed and now faces an extended stay in hospital over Christmas, the dairy owner says.
Nabin was attacked by four men, one of whom was wielding a machete, as he opened the Irvine St Dairy around 7.30am on Saturday morning.
The owner of the dairy, Puneet Singh, said Nabin is in a stable condition but he will take a while to recover from the trauma of the incident.
Nabin’s finger and thumb have been reattached following an eight-hour surgical procedure but he is expected to remain in hospital for another 10 days, said Singh.
“He’s traumatised and very scared. Normally he is always a happy, cheerful guy but now when you see him you can see the fear in his eyes,” said Singh.
On the morning of the attack, Singh received a call from Nabin, who was obviously distressed. He then checked the cameras and saw Nabin lying on the concrete in front of the store and smoke filling the store from the fog cannons.
“I realised something serious had happened.
“When I came, all his shirt and his face ... there was blood all over, and he was fainting, he was passing out and he was not able to walk,” said Singh.
With the rising rate of crime, Singh, who has owned the dairy for four years, said being the target of a burglary is expected but he never expected his employee to be attacked.
“This is something we don’t expect in our daily lives to happen,” he said.
Owner of Irvine St Dairy, Puneet Singh. Photo / Caitlan Johnston
Singh said Nabin’s wife, who is expecting a child which is due in around five months, has also been left traumatised and stressed following the incident.
He said he wasn’t sure if Nabin would return to work but hoped he did.
“He’s most welcome if he wants to because he was my most hardworking worker, and loyal worker,” said Singh.
A Givealittle page which has been set up to help Nabin and his family had, by 12.30pm today, raised more than $3600.
At the time of the attack, Nabin ran to the back of the store for safety while the robbers stole around $15,000 worth of cigarettes.
Singh said he is now facing major financial and mental trauma.
“All together, it’s a big loss,” he said.
Singh said his parents, who live in India, are getting little sleep because of how concerned they are for his safety as crime increases in New Zealand.
“It is very scary, when I open my shop, my parents in India they are scared, they don’t sleep because of the time. When I open the shop it’s 2am in India and they keep texting me asking about my wellbeing,” he said.
He also said he is struggling to find people who want to work, meaning he has had to work up to 15 hours a day to pay the bills.
“So it’s a very difficult situation for me at the moment,” he said.
Police are yet to make any arrests following the incident.
They described the incident as involving “gratuitous violence” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
They have called for witnesses and anyone with information that may help to come forward.
