Thrissur City Women’s Station House Officer (SHO) Aparna Lavakumar is winning praise online after a video emerged showing her sprinting ahead of an ambulance to clear the way during a severe traffic jam.

The incident occurred around 1.30 pm on Saturday at Ashwini Junction, Kolothumpadam, Thrissur. Aparna was travelling in a Pink Police vehicle when she spotted an ambulance carrying a critically ill patient struggling to move through the congested road. The ambulance was en route to Jubilee Mission Hospital from Thrissur Medical College Hospital.

With vehicles clogging the road and the ambulance's siren blaring in vain, Aparna quickly stepped out of her car, ran in front of the ambulance, and waved at other vehicles to move aside and make way for the ambulance. She created a clear path for it before stepping back into her car. The footage, captured by one of the ambulance crew, was widely shared on social media and later reposted by Kerala Police’s official handles.

Speaking about the incident, Aparna said, “What I did is what any member of the police force would do. This is part of our duty.” Aparna joined the Kerala Police in 2002.

She first made headlines in 2008 as a woman constable at Ollur Police Station when she removed three gold bangles from her hand to help a family pay hospital dues to release a woman’s body. In 2019, as a Senior Civil Police Officer at the Thrissur Rural Women’s Police Station, she donated her hair to make wigs for cancer patients, again earning widespread appreciation.