Cyclone Nivar: Chennai cops rescue inebriated man from house minutes before it collapsed

"Ganesh was inebriated when we arrived and was adamant that he won't vacate the house. He had a pet cat that he didn't want to leave behind," said constable Elango
A building partially collapsed after a tree fell down due to heavy winds in Chennai. (Photo | R Satish Babu, EPS)
A building partially collapsed after a tree fell down due to heavy winds in Chennai. (Photo | R Satish Babu, EPS)

CHENNAI: The timely arrival of a police patrol team saved the life of a 33-year-old man who was stuck inside a dilapidated house in Chennai during heavy rain on Wednesday night.

According to the police, head constable Jalaja and constable Elango from Secretariat Colony police station were on patrol duty near Swamy Dasarapuram in Otteri. At around 11 pm, the team found an old house where the front portion had collapsed due to the rain.

"We informed our station inspector who was nearby on another patrol. We tried shouting to know if anyone was present inside but there was no response. There was a 3-foot opening in the collapsed portion, through which we entered," said Elango.

After Inspector Rajeswari reached the spot, two more personnel arrived at the spot. The team saw a man sitting on his bed, later identified as Ganesh, 33, a painter by profession. "Ganesh was inebriated when we arrived and was adamant that he won't vacate the house. He had a pet cat that he didn't want to leave behind," said Elango. In the midst of the rain, the police team started to search for the cat along with Ganesh.

After searching for some time, they found the cat but Ganesh wouldn't move from the place arguing that the house belongs to his deceased father and he is emotionally attached to it.

With the help of some volunteers, the cops managed to bring Ganesh out of the house. Within a short while, the thatched roof of the house collapsed, police said.

Ganesh was taken to a relief camp. Police said Ganesh had lost his job due to the pandemic and lived on his elderly mother's pension. His mother is sick and admitted to the Royapettah Government Hospital while his father and brother died several years ago.

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