Taxi driver from Hyderabad assaulted in Melbourne

The 35-year old victim picked up the passenger, who was in an inebriated state, from Chapel street for the suburb of Blackburn in his taxi, when he was attacked by him on Sunday morning.

"After we reached Blackburn the passenger asked me to take him to Ringwood when my taxi tyre went flat. I tried to tell him I won't be able to take him any further and he started abusing me," the victim said on condition of anonymity.

The victim, hailing from Hyderabad, was then beaten and punched by the attacker.

"I have injuries on face, leg and hand. I have two broken teeth as well," the victim, who went unconscious after the attack, claimed.

The man was then taken to Alfred Hospital by the police, who informed his family. The man was discharged on Monday, a family member told PTI.

The police, according to the victim's family member, also got hold of the attacker.

The victim said he did not think it was a racially motivated attack but an "opportunistic crime".

When contacted, hospital authorities did not provide details of the victim. There was also no official confirmation of the incident so far.