Kochi: Three Kerala police officers on night patrol duty saved a man who attempted suicide inside his house at Kochukadavanthara, in Kochi. 

Sub Inspector Jayaraj P G, along with Civil Police Officers Sudeesh Kumar and Nidheesh N of the Ernakulam Town police station, were patrolling around 11.30 pm on Friday when they received a call through the emergency helpline 112. A woman reported that her neighbours had noticed lights inside her vacant house. Suspecting a trespass or attempted theft, she alerted the police.

The officers rushed to the spot and spoke to locals, who said the family had not been living there due to domestic issues, though the man of the house was seen in the area earlier that evening. Suspecting a burglary, the team climbed over the compound wall. While the front door was locked, they found the kitchen door open.

“It was dark inside. Sudeesh entered first with a torch and heard a faint sound from a bedroom. When he looked inside, he saw a man hanging from the ceiling fan. He immediately called us in,” Jayaraj told Onmanorama.

The officers quickly cut the rope down and found the man still had a pulse. “We carried him outside and rushed him in our jeep to Ernakulam General Hospital in less than five minutes. The neighbours were in shock and unable to react. However, two of them accompanied us to the hospital in our direction,” Jayaraj said. "Fortunately, we had our vehicle and the roads were clear at that hour, so we managed to reach the hospital on time.”

Doctors at the General Hospital provided first aid but, with no ICU available, advised shifting him to Kalamassery Medical College. To stabilise the patient, they also recommended a Philadelphia collar to support his neck. The officers went around the city in the middle of the night searching for medical shops. Eventually, with the help of the PRO of a nearby private hospital, they secured the collar and rushed it back to the General Hospital.

The police also informed the man’s family, who later reached the hospital. “We didn’t think twice—we only focused on saving him because he had a pulse. Luckily, since we were nearby on patrol, we could act in time,” Jayaraj said.