Kochi: A bid to save his daughter-in-law from a chain snatcher left a former headload worker with a severed thumb after the accused bit through his finger and escaped. Saleem, a resident of Pathalam in Kochi’s Eloor, underwent complex reconstructive surgery after doctors found that the severed portion could not be reattached.

The incident occurred on Thursday around 8.15 pm, right outside Saleem’s house in Pathalam. His daughter-in-law had stepped out to collect water from a public tap directly opposite their home as the water pressure inside the house was low.

An unidentified man approached the tap, apparently under the pretext of collecting water with a can. Moments later, he moved up behind the woman and reached for the gold chain around her neck.

“She saw him right as he reached out his hand and screamed. That’s when I came running out,” Saleem told Onmanorama from his hospital bed.

Saleem’s son, who works as a driver, was away at work at the time, and there were no other men at the residence. Hearing his daughter-in-law’s cries, Saleem rushed out and confronted the man, who attacked him with the can. He managed to pin the suspect down and wrestled with him on the ground in an attempt to stop him from escaping with the jewellery.

During the struggle, Saleem’s right hand ended up inside the assailant’s mouth. “He then bit down forcefully on my right thumb, severing the top portion of the finger. He managed to break free and fled into the darkness,” Saleem recalled.

Local residents later recovered the severed fingertip nearby. However, doctors who examined it determined that it was too late to reattach the portion surgically.

Saleem was initially rushed to an ESI hospital and was subsequently referred to MOSC Medical College Hospital, Kolenchery, for specialised treatment. Plastic surgeons performed an abdominal flap procedure to reconstruct the damaged portion of his hand. Tissue was harvested from his abdominal wall and surgically grafted onto the injured hand.

Saleem said his arm has been immobilised against his torso in a rigid cast for three weeks to allow the transplanted tissue to establish blood circulation and heal. “The pain is less now, but the hand cannot be moved at all. They have joined both and stitched the hand directly onto the abdomen,” Saleem said.

Eloor Police reached the hospital on Friday after being informed by hospital authorities and recorded Saleem’s statement. The police said a case would be registered based on his statement.

Investigators suspect that the accused may be an interstate migrant worker. The police have launched a search across the industrial belt to trace and apprehend the suspect.

“The immediate vicinity of the crime scene does not have CCTV cameras. We are examining available leads as part of the effort to identify and track down the absconding accused,” said a police officer.