Riyadh police are looking for an unidentified man who assaulted a female Asian doctor at a private polyclinic in the heart of the capital when she refused to give him money.

The doctor, who was rushed to nearby King Abdulaziz Hospital (Semesi) for immediate medical treatment, had sustained injuries to her face and the doctors have said that they would inform her if she needs surgery after a period of five days.

“I was shocked to see this man, a complete stranger standing in front of me and demanding money for no reason,” Dr. Rihana, (not her real name) told Arab News. She added that he simply walked into the clinic and entered her room. She was not accompanied by a nurse at the time.

The intruder reportedly locked the room and assaulted the practitioner for not giving him money. She said that the suspect was speaking in fluent Arabic but did not look like a Saudi citizen, adding that he might be from a North African country.

Sources at the polyclinic said the CCTV footage has been given to the authorities for necessary action. “Police have started an investigation, beginning with questioning the security officer who was at the main entrance of the clinic on the day of the incident,” they told Arab News.

The clinic is centrally located in an area where the majority of the residents are Asians, mainly Pakistanis and Africans.

The embassy of the country of which the doctor is a national has deputed an official to look after her interests. He said such an incident cannot go unreported as it is a matter where an expatriate manhandled a doctor.

Police are making intensive inquiries to track down the suspect.