Incident Reports

Authorities clueless even as cases of syringe attack increase

2019-06-25

Even as the cases of syringe attack are not limited to only the Kathmandu Valley, police and other authorities are clueless about the persons involved in the attacks and their motive behind the series of attacks targeted at girls and women. Doctors involved in the treatment of the syringe-attack victims say they are worried due to the increasing cases of attack against women with syringe like sharp objects.

The involvement of women in some cases is more worrying situation, according to the doctor.

On Wednesday evening, a woman was attacked with syringe-like objects in Banepa while she was walking on the road accompanied by her daughter. The attack on 34 years old woman has alerted the police in the district.

A case was filed at the District Police Office at Banepa immediately after the woman was attacked with a syringe. Police have arrested 15 suspects on the charge of attacking the woman. Police raided several drug rehabilitations centers in the district to see if anyone from the rehab centers was involved in the attack.

“The victim has informed us that a woman pushed her when she was walking and attacked her with syringe like objects,” said Police Inspector Niranjan Bhattarai.

The injured woman was sent to Shukraraj Tropical Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, for treatment.

The Banepa case, according to the police, is totally different from the cases of attack in Kathmandu. Unlike in the previous incidents of attacks with syringe-like objects in the Kathmandu Valley, both the victim and attacker in the Banepa case are said to be women. Yet, the victim was in her 30s. Before the syringe attack 'spread' to in Banepa, such incidents against girls aged between 20 and 25 years old took place in Kathmandu.

“The continuous attack against a womn that too outside Kathmandu with the involvement of woman seems totally mysterious,” said Sher Bahadur Pun, Clinical Research Unit coordinator at the Shukraraj Tropical Infectious Disease Hospital.

Even as a woman is said to be involved in the Banepa incident, most cases had happened in the evening time. Motorcycle-borne boys are said to be involved in attacking teenage girls in Kathmandu.

Girls in Kathmandu have been facing syringe attacks while walking on the way but the cases were exposed only when a few of them approached the hospital seeking treatment. A woman has approached the hospital after she was attacked with a syringe like object on Thursday.

The hospital sent back most of the victims after providing minor treatment.

Only a few of the girls and women attacked in Kathmandu have approached the hospital. “As of now, around 10 victims have approached to the hospital and consulted with us,” said Dr Pun, adding, “But it's hard to say anything about this mystery unless the police arrest the attackers.”


Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Violent
Onesided / Twosided Onesided
Collective / Interpersonal Interpersonal
Primary Form Assault (small group)
Weapons Sharp weapon
Primary Cause Other non-economic personal issues (revenge, passion etc.)
Actor 1 - Number of people 1
Actor 1 - Affiliations Citizen/Individuals
Actor 1 - Youth noyouth
Actor 2 - Number of people 1
Actor 2 - Affiliation (Target) Citizen/Individuals
Actor 2 - Youth noyouth
Total Injured 1
Female Injured 1
National/Online Media

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