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Hero passer-by describes desperate attempt to save triple stabbing victim's life

20 January 2020, 16:01

Nick Hardinges

By Nick Hardinges

A hero passer-by of a triple stabbing in Ilford has described his desperate attempt to save one of the victim's lives.

Three men were killed on Sunday evening after being stabbed in a fight between rival groups of Sikh men in an East London street.

They have been locally named as Harinder Kumar, Balijit Singh, Narinder Singh.

Sabih Qureshi, 35, described the moment he discovered the "horrific" scene on Elmstead Road, Seven Kings, and his attempt to give them first aid.

He told LBC News: "They were laying down, bloody. One was dead at this point, just beside the car on the footpath, and two of them were just beside the stairs," he said.

"They were badly injured and they were shivering."

The Ilford resident said he did not recognise any of the attackers and only saw the three men laying down on the street.

Police at the scene in Ilford
Police at the scene in Ilford. Picture: PA

When asked whether he was scared, he replied: "Yes for sure, it's not a cat or dog; it's a human being with blood.

"The knife had gone there (in the neck) and in the shoulder and chest. The head was damaged by the hammer and all the hand was scratched by the knife."

Mr Qureshi confirmed he saw weapons at the scene, including the knife and the hammer. His cousin also called the police.

The passer-by added that he tried giving one of the victims him CPR but one was dead "on the spot."

He said "three or four more people" were also at the scene administering first aid.

The trio were all found at 7.38pm on Sunday evening and despite efforts by paramedics, they all pronounced dead at the scene.

Police with a sniffer dog near the scene in Seven Kings
Police with a sniffer dog near the scene in Seven Kings. Picture: PA

A resident told LBC News that he heard a man screaming: “Help me, help me, help me” as he lay dying in the street.

Hardev Singh said: “I could just hear someone crying help me, help me, help me - the police got there five or six minutes later, it’s very shocking.”

Footage shared on social media showed one of the victims lying in a pool of blood at the foot of some stairs near Seven Kings station.

Scotland Yard said all the victims were believed to be in their 20s or 30s.

Police confirmed the deaths followed a "coming together" of two groups, believed to be from the Sikh community, who were thought to be known to each other.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the tragic incident.

Specialist Crime detectives are investigating and have asked anyone with information to contact their incident room on 020 8345 3865.

Alternatively, people can anonymously call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.