World Suicide Prevention Day: How This Delhi Man Was Saved By Delhi Cyber Police, FB Official

NEW DELHI: On World Suicide Prevention Day (Friday), a two-hour coordinated effort between an Ireland-based official of social networking site Facebook and officers of the Delhi Police Cyber Cell helped save the life of a 27-year-old man who was allegedly contemplating suicide by jumping off the Signature Bridge in north Delhi.

According to senior police officers involved in the operation, the man was found near Khajoori Chowk in northeast Delhi, nearly 500 metres away from the Signature Bridge.

According to police, the man was upset because of a failed relationship, and as a result, he posted a “disturbing post” on the social networking site, implying that he was considering suicide. The post was seen by a Facebook official in Ireland, who immediately reported it to the Delhi Police’s cyber crime unit (CyPAD) around 2 p.m. on Friday, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (CyPAD) Anyesh Roy.

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“We zeroed in on the person’s last location near Signature Bridge after receiving information about suicidal activity from Facebook. Timarpur, Dayalpur, and Seelampur station house officers (SHOs) were notified. They immediately deployed teams to search for the person near the bridge,” said DCP Roy.

Roy said that by analysing technical data, CyPAD team members were able to contact the man’s brother, who quickly joined the police teams in their search. The man was discovered on a road close to Khajoori Chowk. The man is now being counselled by professionals.

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Police said the man was identified as Seelampur resident in northeast Delhi. He was pursuing an MBA at a private university but dropped out after his relationship ended recently.

“The timely coordinated action by multiple jurisdictional authorities, as well as prompt technical and field operations, assisted in saving a life on World Suicide Prevention Day,” said DCP Roy, who also tweeted about the operation.

In August of last year, a similar coordinated effort between Facebook and Delhi and Mumbai police officials saved the life of a Delhi-based man who had travelled to Mumbai after an argument with his wife.