The manager of the Delhi Restaurant, recently the victim of a brutal robbery, is struggling to keep his Indian staff in Moscow.


Vijay Sawhney, the Delhi's general manager, said that he and executive manager Aditya Bhaskar were slashed several times last week "by two men who said they were mafia". The incident was the second in recent months involving Delhi employees, he said.


The robberies and violent crimes against other foreigners have caused fear among his 27 Indian employees, he said.


"The morale at the restaurant is at the bottom", Sawhney said. "The employees are all afraid. They sympathize with me, but they want go home.


"If the life of a person is at stake they wont stay", he said. "I'm afraid it could mean closing the restaurant".


The Delhi has been one of the most popular restaurants in the city since it opened in 1987. Its authentic cuisine and eclectic floor show have drawn loyal foreign and Russian customers.


Sawhney, 49, and Bhaskar, 44, were robbed and knifed at about 10: 30 P. M. Wednesday in the elevator of their apartment building near 1905 Metro station.


"We got in the lift, and two men got in behind us", he continued. "They Stopped the lift on second floor, took out knives and held them against our ties near our throats. They took all our money -- about 80, 000 rubles and $500 in cash".


When the robbers ordered Sawhney and Bhaskar to take them to their flats, the Indians took them instead to another flat and told the Russian woman occupant that the men were robbers.


When she tried to telephone the police, the men cut the phone wires, and a fight resulted. The attackers inflicted several knife wounds on both victims before fleeing the scene.


Sawhney said the police took preliminary information that night and opened an investigation Thursday. They told him it was unlikely they could find the attackers, he said, but he is not satisfied.


"We are putting pressure on them from the top", he said.