TWO men are lucky to have escaped with minor injuries after they were assaulted, with one man being stabbed in the hand, by armed men wielding a bush knife. The incident occurred at Durban North’s Japanese Gardens on Wednesday afternoon. This is now the thirteenth similar incident and second stabbing at the gardens.

According to Lt Raymond Deokaran, the visitors were approached by a man holding a bush knife.

“A struggle ensued, and the man managed to assault the men, stabbing one of them in the hand. He made off with their phones and an iPad. The men have both been transported to hospital,” he said.

This follows a similar incident in January, in which a man was stabbed in the chest during another armed robbery.

The municipal gardens have been plagued with armed robberies, with all 13 incidents involving men using pangas and knives.