How Scotland Yard-Trained Mumbai Cop Talked Woman Out Of Suicide

Mumbai: A woman on the verge of jumping off a building in Mumbai was distracted, cajoled and finally saved by a police officer who spent nearly three hours talking to her.

Inspector Shalini Sharma, who has trained at Scotland Yard, summoned all her negotiation skills for this one.

The 32-year-old woman, a lawyer, reportedly climbed the stairs of an under-construction building in Wadala on Friday morning, and went up to the 18th floor.

In a video that has surfaced days after the incident, the inspector is seen talking to the woman, who is dangerously close to a sharp drop.

She was first spotted taking selfies by local people, who sensed something wrong and called the police. Soon, policemen arrived, but when they tried to get close to the woman, she threatened to jump off. 

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When the policemen failed to move her, they decided to call in the cavalry. Inspector Shalini Sharma was pulled off a court assignment. Around noon, she was on her way to a court when her senior asked her to rush to the building for the rescue effort. Another team below was ready too, complete with a fire engine and a jump seat, besides a trampoline, in case the woman jumped.

The inspector's simple plan was to keep the woman engaged in conversation until she dropped her guard enough for four or five women policemen to suddenly grab her and pull her to safety.

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It was 3.15 pm when the crisis ended.

The woman was later handed over to her parents.

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According to the police, she was "mentally disturbed" because of some family matter.