Man climbs mobile tower in Rajouri; rescued after six hours

Rajouri : A 40-year-old man climbed a mobile tower and threatened to commit suicide in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Wednesday, officials said.

He was rescued in a joint operation by police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), ending an over six-hour-long drama in Thanamandi town, some 25 km from Rajouri district headquarters, the officials said.

Javaid Kohli, who is running a shop in the town and is named in several cases related to his alleged criminal activities including drug peddling, climbed the mobile tower at 9 am and went live on his social media account, they said.

Civil and police officers rushed to the scene to persuade him to get down from the tower, the officials said.

They said Kohli did not respond to the repeated requests from the officers and his family, including his children, prompting authorities to seek the help of SDRF, fire and emergency services personnel and health department.

Kohli claimed that he was being harassed by the police and he will come down only when he will get an assurance from some senior government or police official.

After a long persuasion during which police also used a public address system to motivate him with an assurance that all his genuine concerns will be addressed, Kohli was rescued around 3.15 pm, the officials said. — (PTI)