Sudanese student killed in Phagwara while defending women from harassment by boys staying in PGs
A 25-year-old Sudanese student was brutally stabbed to death and another critically injured in a violent altercation near a private university in Phagwara in the early hours of Thursday.
Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora said a Phagwara police team-led by SP Rupinder Bhatti and SP(Investigation) have apprehended all six accused within five hours of the crime, tracking them down in Himachal Pradesh.
The incident occurred before 4 am in the Green Valley locality near Law Gate, in Maheru village —a residential hub for international students, especially from African nations.
According to an FIR registered at the Satnampura Police Station and the statement of the injured student, Ahmed Mohammad Nour Ahmed Hussen, he and the deceased, Mohammad Wada Bala Yousuf Ahmed, were returning from morning prayers (Nawaz) accompanied by two Sudanese female students when they were stopped by a group of Indian men.
The group, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, began harassing the women and demanded their mobile phone numbers.
When Mohammad Wada and Ahmed intervened to defuse the situation, the men turned violent. According to Ahmed, two of the assailants were armed with knives and stabbed both Sudanese students in the chest.
The attackers fled immediately after the assault. The victims’ cries for help were heard by a local resident, Prabhat Dubey, who rushed them to Johal Hospital in Jalandhar Cantt. Doctors declared Mohammad Wada dead on arrival, while Ahmed was admitted in serious condition and remains under medical supervision.
The police registered a case under Sections 109 (common intention), 103(1) (murder), 190 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 191(3) (attempt to murder) of BNS. From his hospital bed, Ahmed provided the police with the names of the six alleged attackers, identifying them as Abdul Ahadh from Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka, and Kuwar Amar Partap Singh, Aditya Garg, Mohammed Shoib, Sushank alias “Shaggy,” and Yash Vardhan Rajput, all reportedly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and currently residing in Phagwara’s paying guest accommodations.
In a remarkable turnaround, the Phagwara police launched a rapid investigation and tracked the accused to Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, where all six were apprehended within hours of the crime. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora confirmed the arrests and lauded the police team for their coordinated and swift action. “This was a heinous crime. The moment we received the information, teams were activated, and we used CCTV footage, technical surveillance, and local intelligence to trace the culprits. The operation was executed with precision by SP Phagwara Rupinder Kaur Bhatti, SP (Investigation), and their teams,” said SSP Toora.
The incident has triggered fear and anguish among the African student community in Phagwara, with several students voicing concerns over safety and instances of racial harassment in university-adjacent areas.
Many have called for increased police presence, enhanced surveillance, and better protection in student residential localities.
Jalandhar