Khar cop posing as cleaning staff of hotel saves a woman’s life

Mumbai: Disguised as room service cleaning staff, officers attached to Khar police station convinced a 22-year-old nurse to open the hotel room door, where she locked herself to end her life

Mumbai: Disguised as room service cleaning staff, officers attached to Khar police station convinced a 22-year-old nurse to open the hotel room door, where she locked herself to end her life.

black and white of sad woman hug her knee and cry. Sad woman sitting alone in a empty room beside window or door (Siam - stock.adobe.com)

According to police, the woman decided to take the drastic step owing to work-related pressure and frustration. She was also a victim of an online fraud a month ago that worsened her mental health.

On Thursday night, Manoj Das, the complainant informed the police that the victim, who is a nurse with a renowned hospital in Khar was staying in the hostel and she had not returned since afternoon. Acting on the complaint, Mahadev Nimbalkar, police inspector from Khar police station and his team traced the location of the woman through her mobile phone.

“The woman’s mobile was active as she had been talking to her brother telling him that she was frustrated and had left the hostel,” said Nimbalkar.

The police learnt that the woman had left the hostel in the afternoon and booked a room in a hotel at Andheri East. After getting the details of the victim and her room number, PSI Sheetal Mengade, dressed in casual clothes, reached the hotel.

Mengade said that she knocked on the door but the woman did not respond. “I then knocked again and told her that I was from the maintenance department of the hotel and needed to clean it. For 10 minutes, I had to convince the woman that I was really from the hotel,” said Mengade.

Mengade added that after the woman opened the door, she was hiding in a corner, “I entered the room and did not allow anyone to come inside as I knew that the woman was scared,” said Mengade.

It took Mengade more than 40 minutes to convince the woman to come out of the corner and sit on the bed where the police officer tried to talk and comfort her. “She told me that she was making mistakes at work and was being pulled up for that and after being a victim of an online fraud, she was frustrated and had lost all hope,” said Mengade.

In the wee hours of Friday, the woman was brought to Khar police station where her parents reached from their village near Sangli. On Friday morning, the woman’s parents returned to Sangli with their daughter. “We saved the woman but her condition is fragile. She is in need of medical and psychological attention,” said Nimbalkar.

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to a mental health specialist.) Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918