BEIJING – A man used a blunt razor to chop off the testicles of four patients at a Chinese nursing home, state media said Thursday.

Chinese People’s Armed Police Force
PHOTO: Wikipedia

The suspect, who has been arrested, castrated a mentally disabled man aged 60 and removed one testicle each from two bedridden patients aged 53 and 80, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Xinhua originally reported that there were three victims, but later updated its report with another man who was discovered during police enquiries, without giving details.

The man tied up the inpatients and “removed their private parts with a dull razor”, Xinhua cited doctors and victims in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province as saying.

Xinhua cited a member of staff as saying that the suspect, in his 30s, was mentally ill and housed at the home, but patients claimed he was an employee.

A report by the Beijing News newspaper on Thursday said the man carried out the acts following a row over “leftover food”, without providing details.

Authorities in the area could not be reached for comment about the attack, which happened on Tuesday.

Conditions in many Chinese homes for the elderly and disabled are poor, with many establishments troubled by insufficient beds, funding and poor management.