Thanks to the instincts and experience of two Singapore Police Force (SPF) officers, a woman trapped in her home toilet was rescued. “I remember the tears of relief she had when she thanked us for rescuing her,” said Senior Staff Sergeant Ibnu Musalli on the rescue, which was shared on SPF’s Instagram account on Thursday (Dec 29).
“I could only imagine the sense of relief she felt when her knocks for help were finally heard,” added Sergeant Miqdad Fisall, the second officer on the scene. The two officers received a call for assistance on Nov 27 after a woman was reported missing.
The relative of the missing woman told the officers that he went to her apartment unit in Clementi as she had been uncontactable the past four days, and her mobile phone was switched off. The relative got no response from the woman during his visit and then asked her neighbours, who also hadn’t seen or heard from her the past few days.
The policemen went to the woman’s apartment and confirmed the same. They also spotted some delivery parcels left outside her home. “Our instincts and experience told us that she might still be in her unit but in a condition where she couldn’t respond,” said Ibnu.
“As we were speaking to the neighbours, we heard some faint rapping sounds coming from the other side of the wall. This further confirmed our suspicions that she might still be inside,” added Miqdad.
The officers quickly gained access to the apartment with the help of a security guard. The knocking sounds grew louder as they entered the house. “‘Miss, we are the police! We’re here to help you!’ To our relief, she responded!” said Miqdad.
They discovered that the bathroom door handle was dislodged, leaving the woman trapped inside. The officers forced open the door and passed the woman a towel and some clothes. She then shared that she had been in the bathroom the past four days without means of contact or escape.
Desperate for assistance, all she could do was try knocking on the walls and hope that someone would notice her signals for help. Miqdad noted that the woman suffered no visible injuries and was left in the good hands of the paramedics who arrived at the scene.
“Looking back, this incident could have easily turned out for the worse. If we didn’t follow up on the knocking sounds, who knew what could happen?” asked Ibnu.
“It’s an interesting incident, for sure. It showed me what it feels like to give hope to people,” said Miqdad. /TISG
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