A man who says a person from his past is conspiring to kill him believes police are not doing enough to protect him after he was stabbed in the street by a masked stranger.
A police officer had called the Lower Hutt man earlier that day in June this year to discuss text messages they had seen containing a threat to his life, but officers at that time did not believe he was in danger.
The terrifying ordeal was the culmination of a series of escalating incidents over the past year, which Abbas Munshi said are all connected to the person from his past.
For legal reasons, the Herald cannot name this person or provide details on their history with Munshi, except to say he believes the attacks are intended to prevent him from exposing prior wrongdoing by the person.
The danger began about October last year, with Munshi and his family receiving multiple visits from a woman he claimed had been threatening to kill him.
He alleged the woman told him she had been paid $30,000 to kill him, but would spare his life if he paid her the money instead. He said he told her to leave and reported the matter to police, but she visited several more times over the following months, repeatedly demanding money.
Then in December, the woman returned with two other people in tow, though this time Munshi and his family were out of the country. Finding the house empty, the group burgled Munshi’s property.
He captured footage on his home security system and provided it to police, who have made arrests, but have only laid charges relating to the burglary.
Munshi believes during the woman’s earlier visits she was hoping to convince him to pay her, but suspects with the visit in December she may have intended to harm him and his family.
Months later, in June this year, Munshi had received a call from police saying a former colleague had come forward with text messages they had received, which mentioned a threat to his life. Another officer called him a week later to discuss the matter further, but said he did not believe there was a true threat to his safety.
Just hours after that phone call, Munshi was out for a walk in the Lower Hutt suburb of Alicetown on June 24 when he was attacked.
He was wearing a headset, talking on the phone to a friend in India when he saw a man ahead.
“There was a guy who was probably six foot-odd. He was masked, he had a hood. He was saying something but because I had my headset on I couldn’t make out what he was saying,” Munshi said.
As Munshi approached, the man, who had a black covering across the lower half of his face, continued trying to speak to him.
He did not catch everything the man said, but heard him mention the person from Munshi’s past.
“The moment he said that, my God... I was scared,” he said. “I just told this guy, I said ‘Look, I don’t know what you’ve come for but you know what, I have some money. I’m happy to offer you that money, please spare my life.’
“Before I could complete, he started beating me up. He punched me, I think, everywhere. He kicked me, he punched me, and he stabbed me as well.”
Munshi fled to a nearby tree, but the attacker pursued him, continuing to hit him as Munshi offered to call his family and get them to transfer the man more money.
The man made some parting threats before fleeing the scene, and Munshi crawled to a nearby front door for help.
“I went to this house, there’s a glass door. I knocked at that door. I have vivid memories of a girl, a boy, and I think a woman. They wouldn’t open the door.”
The residents at the house called 111, and the next thing Munshi remembered was the police arriving and taking him to hospital.
Hospital discharge notes viewed by the Herald show he was admitted with blunt trauma to the face and two stab wounds in his thigh.
One of the entries in his paperwork noted a nurse was unable to comprehend what Munshi was saying because he was shivering so violently, and was shouting in pain when his leg was moved.
After receiving care and painkillers, he was discharged from hospital the next morning, but Munshi said he has had ongoing pain in his leg and has been on multiple medications and rounds of antibiotics. He still walks with a stiff gait months on from the attack.
Munshi and his family have been living in fear ever since, with his youngest son, 14, regularly texting him to “be safe” and becoming distressed when he did not know where one of his parents were or if they were not answering calls.
Nearly three months on from the stabbing, Munshi is fearful the next attack could be just around the corner, as police have not made any progress on tracking down the offender. He also believes he is still being followed by someone.
He also received an anonymous note in his letterbox, naming the alleged attacker and claiming they’d been hired. He said police have not come to collect the note and have yet to interview the named man.
He is frustrated at the lack of action, and believes police should be doing more to catch the “perpetrator” behind the attacks.
Police confirmed to the Herald they had received a report on June 15 from a former colleague of Munshi’s, “advising she had received texts from an unknown number making threats against Mr Munshi”.
“On 24 June, 2024 police were notified that Mr Munshi had been injured in an apparent stabbing,” the police spokeswoman said.
“Police are investigating the injuries suffered by Mr Munshi, alongside the threats made via text to his former colleague.
”Officers are working to support Mr Munshi and his family and a safety plan has been put in place.
“Police acknowledge the frustration voiced by Mr Munshi about this matter. This is still very much an ongoing investigation which is progressing, and police are in contact with him to keep him updated.”
Anyone with information which could assist police inquiries in relation to this matter is asked to contact police via 105 and quote file number 240624/5214.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.