Earlier this month, Indian national Saurabh Anand became a victim of an alleged merciless machete attack in Australia. In late July, a group of five teenager boys brutally targeted the 33-year-old man at Central Square Shopping Centre in Melbourne. The vicious incident nearly caused the Ananda to lose his arm.

Those allegedly behind the attack, including a 15-year-old boy have since been arrested and charged with offences ranging from assault to robbery. Meanwhile, the Australian government granted the 33-year-old Indian man with a new visa on compassionate grounds, facilitating his path to permanent residency in the country, as reported by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The fresh development comes as a positive plot twist focussed at aiding Anand in getting his medical treatment in Australia itself.

Indian man’s Australia visa extension granted after brutal machete attack

The Indian national and his mother, Nitin Anand (who flew in from New Delhi), recently had a meeting with local MP Tim Watts, who is also the Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs, and Assistant Minister for Citizenship Julian Hill. Over the course of their interaction, both officials signed over documents that would grant Anand a visa extension. His temporary legal documentation was reportedly set to expire this month.

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“His visa status was the last thing he should have to worry about after such a terrible incident and I’m relieved he now has the certainty to recover and thrive in Australia in the way our whole community wants him to,” stated the officials.

Although Anand was initially facing deportation with his temporary Australia visa set to expire on August 25, the government’s intervention in the face of the brutal attack he sustained has allowed him to stay for up to two years. During this time, Saurabh can continue to pursue becoming a permanent resident of Australia. Watts and Hill’s approval had now granted a renewal to the Indian man’s subclass 485 (Temporary Graduate) visa.

Given the severity of his injuries at the hand of the teenagers, both his recovery and treatment could take a combined period of up to 12 months.

What do we know about Indian national Saurabh Anand who was attacked in Australia

The 33-year-old has built quite a life for himself in Australia these past seven years by studying and working abroad. Anand called the local shopping centre incident “a trauma of hell,” according to ABC’s 7:30.

Anand still remains shocked to his core that his hand wasn’t completely severed after what he had suffered earlier this month. He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for surgery at the time.

Saurabh is said to have been working as a sales representative, with aspirations to switch to the artificial intelligence field. He was reportedly collecting his prescription at Central Square Shopping at about 8 pm that day when the group of teen boys allegedly came after him.

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Detailing his injuries, Anand told the Australian news broadcaster that despite all the medical assistance he’d received at the hospital, he ended up losing approximately 80% sensation in his left arm, hand and fingers. Consequently, Saurabh has also been left with “excruciating pain, multiple fractures, severed nerves, tendons, and muscles.”

Pictures of his injuries he released to the outlet were shocking spine-chilling and not meant to be viewed by the faint-hearted.

Australia’s federal government now seeks to grant the 33-year-old Indian national permanent residency, depending on the outcome of character vetting and thorough checks carried out by the Department of Home Affairs.

Assistant Minister for Citizenship Julian Hill has already cited Anand’s work in Australia as a major encouragement behind his visa extension. “He studied a high-quality [degree], a master’s at RMIT, and he’s worked and contributed to the community,” the official said. “He’s already certified as having multiple skills in cybersecurity and IT that our country needs.”