Indian couple arrested in Sydney shopping mall attack: ‘Boxes used to set up roadblocks’

According to reports, an Indian couple hid in a back room with others in a busy shopping mall in Sydney on Saturday when a man stabbed six people to death, killing six people. Dozens of people gathered to surround themselves with cardboard boxes. A media report.

Shoi Ghoshal, from Sydney, told the BBC she and her husband Debashis Chakrabarty were at the Westfield shopping center in Bondi Junction earlier today when the attacks began.

The 36-year-old described being in a shop when they realized something was obviously wrong.

Gosar said they heard some people rushing into the store thinking there was a fire, but “people were saying there was a stabbing going on.”

“We went into a back room, a storage room, and boxed ourselves in,” she said, estimating that 20 to 25 people were crowded inside.

Gosar said an elderly woman was crying for her husband, who was still outside. She explained that when the group called police, they relayed what had happened and told them to “stay there and stay calm.”

The group then evacuated through the mall’s emergency exit, where they saw a swarm of police cars.

“It’s horrific. You might think you could be one of the victims. We’re thankful we’re safe and our thoughts are with those who are suffering. It’s horrific for their families,” she told the BBC .

Four women and one man died at the scene, and a fifth woman died of her injuries in hospital, police said.

Eight people are being treated in hospitals across Sydney, including a nine-month-old baby who is reportedly undergoing surgery, the BBC reported.

Authorities said the suspect was a 40-year-old man but were awaiting formal identification and said it was “too early” to speculate on his motive.

According to the report, police said the suspect entered the Bondi Junction shopping mall at around 15:10 local time, then left “very quickly” before returning and walking through the shopping center ten minutes later.

Police said a senior female police officer near the scene was the first to respond and saw the suspect lunge at her before she shot him.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the official as a “hero.” She performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but the suspect could not be revived.

Police believe the suspect acted alone and there is no ongoing risk to the public.