It was only a week in that area. Nobody had briefed me about the crime rate.
I used to buy naan from a tandoor. Went there few times. Found nothing suspicious for first few days until a day before the crime. Noticed the tandoor person eyeing me and then he was looking in another direction. I followed his gaze and found a mechanic looking at me. As if the tandoor wala had some ulterior motives, had been discussing me and was now pointing me out. Both the men had an evil smile. I thought it was the normal homo behaviour I had faced numerous times before. I didn`t think much of it. And nothing happened that day, until one night I went to that tandoor and gave my usual order. The man kept looking inside his shop towards a hole from where he used to be served dough. He asked me again about my order and busied in the same behaviour of looking back inside. I reiterated my order thrice and the man had a mysterious glare in his eyes. As if he was experiencing adrenaline rush. There was no response from the cardboard hole- complete silence. Then I was walking back the same route. It was too dark and there was no light for at least 200 metres. There was a wall on one side and an open place with a graveyard and fields on the other. Further, I was busy with cellphone- texting. I felt a subtle nudge on my head but had to wait for a second one to turn back and call out whosoever was trying to hit me. It was then 2 youth came near me. One stood in front of me while the other stood at my back. The one in the front was wearing a shawl. Couldn`t see anything except a dark figure. It was already too dark. The one at my back said, "Awaaz nahin nikalni." Then I heard a metal pipe clank. Thought he was armed with a gun, especially when I felt a circular pipe on my neck. That`s when the rest of the things happened as I have already shared. I was trying to understand what was happening. Couldn`t believe the ordeal.
A crime reporter told me that particular place was infested with criminals and Afghan refugees lived in that area. Police had already conducted many ops.