A city takeaway owner told how one of his regular customers was “slashed” by a man waiting for a pizza.
Husnain Khaliq, who co-owns Spicy Spot takeaway in Grant Street, said he saw blood streaming from the 27-year-old victim – whom he knows only as a Polish man called Jimmy – as he pointed to a “big cut” on his arm.
Police refused to confirm whether a knife was used in the disturbance – but yesterday officers were seen searching for something, presumably a weapon, near the scene.
Last night, a police spokeswoman said the man’s injuries were “serious but not life-threatening” and confirmed he was taken to the city’s Raigmore Hospital for treatment. The spokeswoman added that police are “following a positive line of inquiry”.
Speaking yesterday afternoon, Mr Khaliq said that minutes before the incident, he took an order from two men – aged about 30 and in their early 20s – for calzone pizza before they went to wait in their car outside while the food was being made.
During this time, Mr Khaliq’s business partner was sitting in his car outside on his phone, and noticed the pair becoming embroiled in an argument with another man who came from the Nip Inn pub – but they disappeared from sight.
Mr Khaliq said that his partner then came inside to alert him to the fight, adding: “I went outside and saw that Jimmy was bleeding. His hand was bleeding, as I believe he had tried to punch their car windscreen afterwards, and there was a big cut on his arm which you could see because he was wearing a t-shirt. Jimmy was showing people what was done to him by pointing to the cut.
“It’s quite a sad thing that has happened. And it’s not been good for our business, as no one came in after 9pm on Tuesday night.”
Mr Khaliq said that, following the incident, about six police officers came into the takeaway and asked how many people worked there before searching the premises.
He said the calzone had been sitting on the side of the counter all night but was eventually thrown out at closing time.
He added that the Polish man regularly orders biryani from the takeaway, and briefly entered earlier in the evening to ask if a friend was working before returning to the pub.
Merkinch Community Council chairwoman Elizabeth McClurg said she saw four police officers searching the Ness riverbank yesterday morning at about 9.30 as she drove along Grant Street to go to work.
At the same time, she saw another two police officers in the Gilbert Street area – and one was carrying a ladder.
She added: “It’s just bad news. Nobody wants anybody to be hurt, no matter what the circumstances. It’s just quite sad that this has happened. I hope whoever was hurt will be OK.”
The 999 call was received at about 9.45 on Tuesday night, and two police vans and a dog unit went to the scene. A cordon was placed on Grant Street in Merkinch at about 10pm, with the road reopening shortly after 11pm.
