Kolkata Police prevent suicide bid after Facebook alert
Times of India | 28 July 2024
Representative Image KOLKATA: Alerted by a message on Facebook about a 20-year-old man livestreaming while attempting to commit suicide, multiple teams of Kolkata police joined hands to track down his home and ultimately coaxed him out of his decision to end his life in the early hours of Saturday.
Cops said around 11pm on Friday, a person sent a video on messenger at Kolkata Police’s Facebook page which was a screen recording of a Facebook live, in which a young man was threatening to end his life.
“The sender said the young man attempting to end his life was his school friend and was currently pursuing undergraduate studies. He knew his friend’s earlier phone number but not his current address,” an official said.
Using technology, cops traced the number to an area in Behala, but realising it would take more time to find the specific address, officers in charge of Behala, Parnasree and Sarsuna police stations were alerted and the officers formed multiple teams and began knocking on homes of several residents who shared the name and surname of the young man in the locality.
“Our anxious officers actually woke up other bewildered residents with the same name in the middle of the night. Apologising for the misunderstanding, they then rushed to the next possible address,” the officer said.
Finally, the Behala PS team identified the youth’s correct address and current phone number in the Parnasree area. But his phone was switched off. So, officers from all three police stations reached his place.
“Fortunately, the young man was still alive and unharmed. The man said he was depressed about a few issues and had decided to take the extreme step on the spur of the moment. But he promised it would not happen again. His mother thanked us for the efforts,” said the officer, adding that the teams left the house at 4 am, with a collective sigh of relief.