Ilford man attacked in Gumtree phone sale horror
Robbery victim Shabbir Awan with his injury - Credit: Archant
A dad was left bleeding in the street after he was robbed on his doorstep on Friday.
Shabbir Awan, 30, of Eltisley Road, Ilford, who unknowingly arranged to meet his attacker through classifieds website Gumtree, was attacked with an “unidentified sharp object” after the “buyer” ran off with Shabbir’s iPhone 6 – which he was trying to sell.
Shabbir, who was with his toddler daughter, put her down to run after the man but was stabbed in the finger.
The attacker then got away in a car described as a blue Saab.
Shabbir said: “I have become paranoid every time a car is outside my house – I’m so scared and I can’t sleep.
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“I feel betrayed and I want to create awareness that something like this could happen to anyone in broad daylight.”
The victim, who has lived in Ilford for three years, was treated for his injuries in hospital and later discharged.
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Shabbir says he has lost confidence in buying and selling online following the attack, which happened at about 8pm.
“I don’t want to put my family at risk again,” he said.
“I’m lucky it was just my finger this time – it could have been a lot worse.”
The attacker is described as an Asian man, about 25-years-old and of slim build. He had brown hair, a “designer” beard, was wearing a blue t-shirt and grey shorts and was carrying a black Adidas rucksack.
A white woman with blonde hair was with him in the Saab.
Shabbir added: “The man spoke Punjabi and he said he was fasting.”
A Gumtree spokesman said: “The safety of those who use Gumtree is of the upmost importance to us. We have safety prompts which pop up regularly when viewing items on the site and we encourage all users to consult our buying and selling safely tips on our website.”
A spokesman from the Met Police said they were investigating. No arrests have been made.
Call police on 101 with information.
