The past few months have taught us the importance of suicide awareness and prevention, especially through the internet and social media. There have been many incidents where cops, in particular, have risen to the occasion and successfully intervened and prevented various suicide attempts by distressed people. For instance, a Mumbai man thanked cops for saving his life after he tweeted to ask punishment for suicide. In another instance, the Delhi Police, a Mumbai cop, and Facebook together saved a man from committing suicide. Yet another similar incident has emerged from the capital city.
As per a report in HT, a 42-year old Delhi woman sent a “distress e-mail” at night to UK prime minister Boris Johnson asking for his help and also threatened that “if help is not met in the next two hours, she would commit suicide”. Sensing the sensitive nature of the mail, Johnson’s office swiftly alerted the Indian High Commission in London, who in turn contacted the External Affairs Ministry (MEA) in Delhi.
The Ministry reached out to the Delhi Police, and soon the cops launched a “door-to-door search operation” for hours where they finally managed to trace the woman’s home in Rohini, sector-21, and averted the suicide.
Explaining the situation, Pramod Kumar Mishra, who is the deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) said, “The woman was found living in an unhygienic condition and it looked like her house had not been cleaned in years. The woman was of poor mental health possibly due to the breakdown of her marriage and a huge financial burden from past loans.”
The Indian Express reports DCP Mishra saying that the woman sent the mail seeking urgent help from the UK PM on Wednesday night at around 11 PM when it was 6:30 PM in London. He adds, “The Indian high commission in London immediately contacted the MEA officials in India and sought their quick response as the woman’s life appeared to be at stake. Subsequently, the information reached Aman Vihar police station from where 10 personnel were sent to locate her.” They only had her name and incomplete address at their disposal. They kept calling the number given in the mail, but to no avail.
When asked how the woman had Boris Johnson’s e-mail address, DCP Mishra informed, “She is being counseled. As and when we get this information, we will share it.”
As per The Tribune, it took about 45 minutes for this information to travel through these various channels from London to Delhi, and a 10-member Aman Vihar police team set out to locate her. “With the help of local security guards and residents, we reached the building where the woman lived alone on the third floor. However, despite our repeated persuasions, the woman did not open the door. So, we called in a team from the fire department and while they were about to break open the door, she opened it,” a police officer said.
Reportedly, she said “she was okay” despite looking fraught with anxiety, and asked the rescue team to leave. Obliging, some of the officers left, while others went inside the house in an attempt to counsel her. The woman revealed that she used to be a municipal school teacher but resigned due to personal reasons. She also went through a divorce a decade ago and her current financial crises. The cops also found some 16-18 cats roaming around the home’s premises.
Giving the final update on the situation, DCP Misra stated, “It appears that the stress of the financial burden took a toll on her mental health. We called in two psychologists and a doctor to address her problems and advise us if we should obtain the requisite assent to shift her to the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences for further treatment.” Her house is also being cleaned.
We salute the Delhi Police and all the other officials and authorities involved for their quick response and swift action that helped save her life. Whatever the situation is, we hope that the woman realizes that suicide is never the solution to any problem, and is guided towards better ways of solving the distress in her life.
If you’re undergoing a similar situation, there are numerous NGOs like AASRA, who are there to pull you out of your concern and help you get your life back on track.