Nasruddin Khudabaksh Mansuri saved a shopkeeper in Chembur from a sword attack
It took just seconds for a 50-year-old tailor in Mumbai to prove that underneath his calm exterior lies a tough superhero.
Nasruddin Khudabaksh Mansuri was considering what mobile phone to buy at a shop in Chembur on Tuesday night when a man rushed in a with a sword and slashed at the man behind the counter.
The attack was swift, but Mr Mansuri's reaction was faster. He grabbed the swordsman and overpowered him, holding onto him till the police arrived.
"There was no time to think or fear. I knew I had to stop him. Humanity comes before personal safety," Mr Mansuri told NDTV.
The man whose life he saved is in hospital with 20 stitches on his hand and head. Rajnish Singh Thakur, 36, had been leading a campaign against gang of extortionists terrorising shopkeepers in his neighbourhood. In May, his brother and he put up posters asking locals to share information on the thugs.
"They took revenge. I'm alive because of that customer who is like a farishta (angel), he is like God for me," Mr Thakur explained after doctors permitted him to talk to NDTV.
Shopkeepers blamed the police for inadequate action even as four people have been arrested for the attack on Mr Thakur.
Meanwhile, the Thakur family has promised to reward Mr Mansuri.