A landlord was stabbed in a “random, brutal” attack by two prospective tenants he was showing around his flat which a female accomplice filmed.
Father-of-two Tej Singh, 35, said he feared for his life after being “jumped” by the men who answered an advert on Gumtree. One punched him in the face before his accomplice rained down blows and kicks. One then pulled out a 12in blade and knifed him in the ribs, he said.
The attack during a viewing of the one-bedroom flat in Harrow on Valentine’s Day was filmed by a woman.
Mr Singh, who lives in Harrow, told the Standard: “I was showing them around and then in the kitchen I was smacked full force in the face by one man. I fell across the room and managed to get up. After that he beat me and we wrestled and struggled.
“The second man pulled out a 12-inch blade. I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. I then was stabbed in my lower left rib, luckily not that deep.
“I was just shouting, ‘No, no, no!’ The girl was filming the whole time.”
The three then dashed out of the property and were spotted by a passer-by at about 2pm. Mr Singh called the police immediately after.
He said: “They stole nothing, they just did what they did, filmed it, and ran out the house. There was nothing at all before [the attack]. They acted normal, tried to negotiate and were asking questions about the boiler.
“I’ve done 100 to 200 viewings over the years and it’s never gone like that.
“You don’t think of these things happening. It’s so random, I just want to know why they did what they did. I am not going to stop doing viewings because of this one scary incident. I’m eager to get these people caught, they’re dangerous.”
Mr Singh said one man was 6ft, stocky, Asian with black hair and a beard. The other was 6ft, thin, Middle-Eastern with fair skin, a shaped beard and dark feminine features. The woman was said to be Middle Eastern and around 5ft 2ins. All are thought to be aged 18 to 22.
A spokesman for Gumtree said: “We take the safety of our users extremely seriously and are appalled to hear of this crime. Our dedicated safety team works very closely with the police to ensure the ongoing safety of our users.
“We recommend that people using our site meet during the day and take a friend or relative along if possible, or else let a friend know their location.
“Should any Gumtree user feel at risk, we ask that they contact us immediately and notify the police.”
An investigation by BBC presenter Kirsty Lang has revealed that stabbings are being filmed and posted “for likes” on social media as part of a disturbing new craze.
