Nguyen Ba Truong Nam, a police officer in the north-central province of Nghe An, has been unknowingly living with an unusual ‘gift’ left inside his body by a criminal he once chased after for more than a decade.

In 2007, Nam, an officer of the Nghe An police department, was trying to capture a fleeing criminal when he was aggressively fought back.

The lawbreaker managed to stab the 34-year-old officer in his head, shoulder, and back.

Nam was later hospitalized to treat his severe injuries.

Even though it has been 11 years since the incident, with all his wounds healed, the policeman had not known that the blade of the knife remained in his body, until recently, when he suffered serious pains in his back.

Following a health checkup, Nam was stunned to see x-ray images showing that knife blade, measuring 13 centimeters long, was there just over his spine.

The 13 cm-long blade is heavily oxidized. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The police officer underwent a surgery at the Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, when doctors successfully removed the metal, already oxidized heavily, from his body.

“The was located at a sensitive area near the abdominal aorta and could have moved toward the aorta and killed Nam if he had carried out heavy exercises,” doctor Hoang Kim Tuan, who performed the surgery, said on Friday.

The officer is currently in stable conditions and recovering well.