A Galway doctor has said his family is “traumatised” after a man he claims is his landlord attacked his front door with a handsaw.
Dr Muhammad Raheel emigrated to Ireland from Pakistan six years ago and lives in the west coast county with his wife and young children.
On Lunchtime Live this afternoon he claimed his landlord showed up to his house on Monday and lunged at him with a handsaw.
A video of the alleged incident shared widely online appears to show a man attacking his door with the saw.
A shocking video circulated online yesterday which appears to show a landlord using a chainsaw to try to enter a property. @andreagilligan speaks to Dr Raheel about it, next.
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) April 19, 2023
After the saw cuts through the door, Dr Raheel opens it and asks the man to "stay back”, warning him that he plans to call the Gardaí.
The man tells Dr Raheel to “go to hell”.
As Dr Raheel attempts to close the door, the man appears to lunge inside, forcing the doctor to slam it shut again.
Dr Raheel told Andrea Gilligan the saw was “just by [his] nose” when his wife, who was standing behind him, pulled him away.
“He was not happy to stop," he said. "He kept going and going."
Dr Raheel said the man abused him religiously and racially before attacking the door.
He said “everything has changed” for him following this attack.
Garda response
Dr Raheel said the “most painful thing” about the incident was that Gardaí were not helpful when he called them.
He said: “The first thing [the garda] said was, 'You live in that apartment? The landlord rang us, and he told me that you owe him money?’”
“I said, 'I don't know what you’re talking about, did he seek permission from you to break into the door?’”
Lock changing
Dr Raheel has lived in the Galway apartment for nearly four years with his wife and two small children.
He said problems began in August 2022 when their rent to the landlord started “bouncing back” to his own bank account.
“I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “In December after it happened twice, I contacted my landlord.”
Dr Raheel said two weeks ago his wife rang him at work to tell him someone was changing the locks of their front door.
Thinking it was a robbery, Dr Raheel said he returned home and discovered his landlord was attempting to change the locks.
He said he had not heard from the landlord in six months before that incident.
Bank account
Dr Raheel said he then discovered his landlord had changed his bank account without informing him.
He said he contacted Gardaí, who were helpful at the scene.
The doctor said he was able to show gardaí that he had been sending his rent to the original account and they agreed that he had done nothing wrong.
“Traumatised”
Dr Raheel said his wife has been “traumatised” by both incidents.
“She cannot sleep - she's just getting traumatised listening to this,” he said. “She still does not know a lot of things.”
He said he is in shock after living in Ireland for six years and in his Galway home for nearly four years.
“I love living in Ireland - I feel like I'm home. I don’t even feel like I’m missing Pakistan, because it’s been six years.”
“Hundreds of doctors”
General secretary of the Pakistani Association Dr Liqa Ur Rehman, who posted the video online, said since the attack he has been in contact with other doctors.
“Since this incident happened and it was out, I have been in contact with hundreds of doctors - and everyone is asking if this happened to them, would they be protected.”
