Rhyan Singh who was celebrating his 16th birthday with two friends was stabbed and ambushed by a gang armed with machetes on Thursday evening.
Police have now arrested a 20-year-old man following this alleged armed robbery and stabbing in Tarneit.
The police said in a statement:
“An altercation occurred and the youths were stabbed a number of times before the offenders left the scene.”
The teenagers were playing basketball at a leisure centre in Caroline Springs when they were ambushed in Melbourne’s west which has been described as an unprovoked attack.
After the game, Rhyan was planning to go for a celebratory family dinner when a group of about seven to eight males attacked the teenagers.
Three teenagers have been stabbed in Bayden Powell Drive, Tarneit, and robbed of their shoes and phones.
Rhyan’s mother Sushma Manandhar told 7NEWS:
“(It’s) not fair … we were planning for his birthday. We ordered his favourite cheesecake. When we heard this news our world just collapsed.”
The thugs demanded that the teenagers hand over their mobile phones. Further, they ordered Rhyan to hand over his new Nike Air Jordan sneakers, a birthday gift.
The three victims were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Sushma Manandhar added that there was blood everywhere, and her son thought he was dying.
“When he said ‘mummy I love you, I think I’m dying, I’ve been stabbed, I think I’m dying’ I was like, ‘that’s it, that’s it, we’ve lost him forever’.”
Rhyan is recovering in a hospital where doctors performed surgery on his left hand. His two friends are also recovering in the same hospital.
The 20-year-old man has been charged with armed robbery, robbery, and recklessly causing serious injury.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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