Indian policeman who 'enjoyed' swallowing 40 knives, claims 'spiritual powers' made him do it
An Indian policeman, who reportedly spent two months swallowing knives and had 40 of them surgically removed, has claimed "spiritual powers" made him do it.
Constable Surjeet Singh underwent a successful five-hour operation to remove the knives from his stomach in the city of Amritsar on Friday, after complaining to doctors of severe abdomen pain.
Jatinder Malhotra (right) displays the 40 knives that were surgically removed from the stomach of police constable Surjeet Singh (left). Photo AP
When doctors removed the knives they found some folded and others with exposed blades up to 18 centimeters long.
The 42-year-old man is recovering in a hospital in Punjab.
"I don't know why I did it but there was some spiritual power behind it," the father-of-two told AFP.
"It started in June when I swallowed the first knife and I enjoyed the feeling. It soon became a habit," he said.
Doctors said they initially thought he was suffering from a tumour after body scans showed a large solid mass.
But on further investigation, they discovered dozens of folding knives with metal and wooden handles.
A doctor said Surjeet Singh was apparently suffering from a psychiatric disorder and is now being counseled.Photo: AFP
When doctors removed the knives they found some folded and others with exposed blades up to 18 centimeters long. Photo: AP
"We immediately prepared him for surgery and removed the knives. There was bleeding as some of them were unfolded," Rajinder Rajan, one of the surgeons at Corporate Hospital, told AFP.
Rajan said he suspected the patient, who told doctors he passed two more knives in his stools, was suffering from depression.
Although recovering well from surgery, he would undergo a psychological assessment before being discharged from the hospital, Rajan said.
Surjeet Singh, lies under a table displaying the 40 knifes removed from his stomach recuperates in a hospital in Amritsar, India. Photo: AP
Dr Jatinder Malhotra said he had never before heard of a case of a person swallowing knives.
The doctors' were not ruling out the possibility that he had pica, an eating disorder in which the sufferer feels compelled to consume non-edible things.
But the man said he would not do it again.
"I consumed a knife a day for about two months. I never felt it was going to harm me but when it pained, I came to the hospital.
"I will not repeat it. I am glad they saved my life and I want to go back to my family."
