A man from the western Russian city of Veliky Novgorod miraculously survived a vicious beating in late August by convincing his attackers he had lost his recollection of the episode, investigators said on Monday.
The man was attacked by three acquaintances who beat him, then attempted to strangle him and cut his throat with a broken bottle. They next threw him down a manhole, covered it with a slab of concrete and fled the scene. But they returned the next day and found the victim still alive.
“The suspect managed to convince them that he didn’t remember what happened the day before, then the attackers helped him out of the well and called an ambulance,” a source in the local investigation department said.
The victim immediately informed the police who his attackers were.
The three suspects were charged with attempted murder and other crimes and face lengthy prison terms.