Suicide prevention (img: Pixabay)

As the world goes through a mental health epidemic, cases of self-harm and suicide emerge around us every day. People resort to  social media to express their suicidal tendencies.

Gujarat’s CID Crime’s anti-cyberbullying unit (ABU) keeps a tight watch over such suicidal posts on social media, where the individuals are traced and provided with counselling with the help of  local police.

In the last six months, four such people from Ahmedabad, Surat, Aravalli and Panchmahal were counselled.

Ahmedabad man saved from taking a foul step

The first incident was from Ahmedabad’s Isanpur area, where a man lost his job six months prior and was unemployed at his house. He was often criticised.

Following this, he decided to end his life by consuming poisonous medicine and posted a video of this on his Instagram account.

The Ahmedabad police control room became active, and they obtained his address through the post. The team reached his place, and he was then immediately shifted to LG hospital, where he was treated and his counselling was conducted.

Lives saved in Surat

Another incident emerged from Surat’s Mahuva, where a 23-year-old woman posted on Instagram about being willing to commit suicide, as she was allegedly not given monetary maintenance by her husband for the house and was stressed over the rearing of her one-year-old child.

The ABU immediately deployed the Mahuva police team at her house. The team resolved her domestic issues and counselled her.

Aravalli man saved in Ahmedabad

The third incident was traced to Aravalli however it was later established that the individual was from Ahmedabad. 

An unemployed man lived in an area surrounded by government employees.  His parents often criticised him for this.

Following this, he posted a video of him drinking poisonous medicine on his social media account.

While reaching him, Amreli police established that the man lived in Ahmedabad’s Bodakdev area and contacted the local police there to reach out to him.

He was saved from committing a foul step after which he and his parents were counselled.

Fourth such act prevented

In the fourth incident, a man living in Panchmahal’s Shahera taluka posted an Instagram story stating his intention to commit suicide.

Following this, the local police traced his location and saved him from taking this step.

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