‘Think of me as your son’: Kerala cop turns hero, talks man out of suicide attempt

Idukki, Kerala: An Idukki police officer talked a man out of a suicide attempt by appealing to him to think of the officer as his son, persuading him to remove a wire tied around his neck and come out of a locked room, police said.

SI Bibin TB, who took charge at a police station in Idukki's Thadiyampadu two days earlier, was responding to a call from the man's wife, who said her husband had allegedly arrived home drunk and tried to attack her and their daughter with a machete.

When police arrived at the house in Karthyayani Kavala, the man locked himself in a room, tied a wire around his neck and threatened to jump if anyone touched the door.

Rather than force their way inside, Bibin chose to speak to him, fearing that a sudden intervention could put his life at risk.

The man was intoxicated and crying as he stood on a bed with the wire around his neck and one foot near the edge, according to police.

Bibin spoke to him for about 40 minutes before making an emotional appeal.

“You have to think of me as your son. Untie the knot around your neck and come down,” Bibin told him.

The appeal eventually worked. The man removed the wire, opened the door himself and came outside.

Police later consoled him and spoke with him about his problems. They also spoke with his family members and neighbours.

Police said alcohol use and family problems appeared to have contributed to the incident.