Man saved after Facebook alerts Delhi Police about self-harm video
(PTI desk)
A 39-year-old man who shared a live video of harming himself on Facebook was saved by Delhi Police after it was alerted by a call from an office of the social media giant, officials said on Saturday. On Thursday night, Shohan Lal (name changed), a resident of Dwarka in West Delhi, inflicted multiple deep cuts on his hand following an altercation with neighbors.
A disagreement with the neighbors drove Lal toward self-harm
Lal works in a sweet shop and has two young children. He has been emotionally vulnerable since the death of his wife in 2016. The altercation with neighbors triggered him to take the extreme step. While doing so, he live-streamed it on Facebook, making its office situated thousands of kilometers away in the US to make a call, a senior police officer said.
Delhi Police received the call at around 12:50 am
While all this was happening, at around 12:50 am, DCP CyPAD Anyesh Roy received a call alert from Facebook's US office about a suspicious self-harm live video being posted by a user in Delhi. The alert was generated as part of the coordination framework established between Cyber Prevention Awareness and Detection (CyPAD), the Nodal Cyber Unit of Delhi Police, and international social media platforms.
Address was traced and an ERV rushed to the spot
Police checked and analyzed the account details shared by Facebook. The mobile phone number linked to the account was switched off. Later, police obtained the address linked to the mobile number and it belonged to Dwarka, the officer said. A nearby emergency response vehicle (ERV) and its in-charge probationer Sub-inspector Amit Kumar rushed to the given address to trace the man.
Man was moved to the AIIMS Trauma Center
When Kumar reached the location, he found the man on the stairs in a very bad condition as he had suffered heavy blood loss, the officer said. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital and later shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Center, the officer said, adding that his condition was stated to be stable now.
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