An attempt by a mentally deranged man to kill his six-month-old child and end his life by jumping from the rooftop of his two-storey house was foiled by Fire and Rescue Services personnel at Changuvetty near Kottakkal on Wednesday afternoon.
Afsal, 31, who displayed mental illness, carried his little child to the rooftop and held two knives to the child’s neck. Attempts by his family and neighbours to stop him and bring him down from the terrace failed as he threatened to jump after slitting the child’s throat.
Police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Tirur and Malappuram units reached the spot, but tension continued for over three hours, as Afsal began to show signs of violence.
He dropped the knives after being persuaded by the Imam of the local masjid. Firemen got his father-in-law to talk to him, and he finally yielded to the latter’s appeal and readied to release the traumatised child to him.
No sooner had Afsal handed over the child to his father-in-law, than four firemen caught him from behind and tied him up. He was lowered from the rooftop with the help of a net and ropes and shifted to VRC Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre at Vettom.
Fire officers M.K. Pramod Kumar and L. Sugunan said that Afsal was physically strong and it took four of them to manage him.
