Police save cab driver in the nick of time from jumping off flyover

A cab driver who attempted to jump off from the busy Richmond Road flyover was saved in the nick of time by the Ashok Nagar traffic police.

Sub-Inspector Harish Kumar B.M. and head constable Lokesh D.G. were posted at the junction when they heard a commotion on the flyover around 6.45 a.m. The police noticed a mobile phone falling from the flyover and the woman crying out for help while holding a man to stop him from jumping.

Sensing trouble, Lokesh rushed onto the flyover on his bike with the siren on in the one-way direction and managed to pin down the man. Meanwhile, Harish Kumar joined him, and the duo called the Hoysala patrolling vehicle and sent the rescued man to Ashok Nagar police station for an inquiry.

Police inquiry revealed that the man, Venkataraju, was travelling in a car with his wife and brother-in-law. Due to the peak hour traffic, vehicles were moving slowly. The couple had an argument, and in the ensuing squabble, he got out of the car and went to the edge of the flyover while his wife struggled to stop him. Passers-by thought of him as a thief stealing the mobile phone and trying to flee from the spot.

Venkataraju was upset after the demise of his grandmother and was admitted to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). After two days of treatment, he was discharged and the incident occurred when he was returning home.

“We were able to save him in the nick of time. We initially thought he was a mobile thief trying to escape. But when we rushed to the spot, we found that it was a couple’s fight and pinned the man down before he jumped off the flyover“, Harish Kumar told The Hindu. The police counselled Venkataraju and his family members, and they let him go. 

(Those who are in distress or having suicidal tendencies can seek help from Arogya Sahayavani at 104)

Published - November 14, 2024 09:23 pm IST