45-year-old habitual offender climbs mobile tower near Thane Central Jail, stalls traffic; she had scaled a mobile tower in Mangalore last year
45-year-old habitual offender climbs mobile tower near Thane Central Jail, stalls traffic; she had scaled a mobile tower in Mangalore last yearu00a0
u00a0
In a dramatic bid for attention to her dire financial straits, a 45-year-old woman threatened to jump off a mobile tower in Thane, to protest against the casual attitude of authorities to sponsor the treatment of her blind daughter. In her wake, she caused a jam, as passers-by thronged to watch the tamasha. She had pulled off a similar stunt in Mangalore last year.
Towering tales: (Clockwise from top) Sapna Pereira climbed up a mobile
tower in front of Central Jail. Soon, officers came to bring her down from
the tower. Unheeding pleas to return to ground, officials used a crane to
bring her down. pics/Siddharth DhadveThe incident occurred around 12.15 pm at a mobile tower in front of the Central Jail in Thane.
And it concluded by 12.45 pm, with the intervention of firemen and policemen who managed to bring down the female, identified as Sapna Pereira, with the help of a crane.
After she was made to dismount, the Thane Nagar police arrested her for attempted suicide.
"Upon arrival at the scene of commotion, our officers were taken by surprise. They saw an unknown female had clambered up half the tower, 30 feet up in the air," said Hemant Sawant, police inspector (crime), Thane Nagar police station.
The police immediately informed the Thane firemen unit, which rushed to the scene. "We tried convincing her to come down but she did not agree. Later, the firemen got her down with the help of a crane," said Sawant.
"We have booked her for attempt to suicide. She will be produced in a local court on Wednesday," said Sawant.
Officials said that Pereira had come to meet her brother-in-law who is lodged in Thane Central Jail, following his arrest in a cheating case.
"We have learnt that Sapna has a nine-year-old daughter, who is to undergo an eye operation for which she needs money. She has already approached some politicians, but has not been able to get the funds. So she carried out the entire suicide drama," said Sawant.
Reportedly, Sapna has written to various state and central authorities, seeking monetary aid for the surgery, which would cost around Rs 80,000.
An eyewitness to the entire incident said, "Her stunt created minor traffic problems, as around 100 people gathered to see what the ruckus was all about."
Drama queen
>> July 14, 2010: Sapna climbed a mobile tower near the bus stand in Mangalore and threatened to jump off. She wanted to meet the Mangalore police commissioner and file a complaint of theft. The drama continued for two hours before the fire brigade brought her down.
>> May 22, 2009: Sapna broke a glass pane at the MHADA office and threatened officials in the office that she would cut herself with the glass pieces. She was booked by the Kherwadi police for blocking government work (Section 353), creating a scene (Section 332), damaging the property (Section 427) and threatening people (Section 506(2).
>> May 20, 2009: Sapna tried to strangulate herself with the strap of her bag after her name did not figure in the MHADA lottery for flats.
