Suicide drama in Bur Dubai

Hundreds of onlookers gathered on Tuesday in Bur Dubai as a young Egyptian man attempted to commit suicide from the top of a newly-constructed five-storey building over financial problems.

After the two-hour drama ended in the tourist and shopping district of Meena Bazaar near the Dubai Museum, the 21-year-old man got off the building and was taken to Raffa Police station.

Looking dazed and clad in all-black jeans, shirt and jacket, the man did not give his name.

He later told XPRESS at the police station, “My mother is very sick and she needs Dh200,000 for her operation and treatment. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Six Civil Defence vehicles, three ambulances and over five police cars rushed to the scene after they received a call at 1.30pm.

More than a dozen policemen helped control the crowd that gathered beneath the building and cordoned off some roads in Bur Dubai.

Police officials declined to give any details, except the nationality and age of the man.

A paramedic staff said, “I have not seen anyone jumping off the building here, but we cannot take the risk and have come fully prepared.”

Traffic built up and the crowd gathered beneath the building as the Egyptian man threatened to jump off a number of times.

A police officer from the Police Control Room negotiated with the man for over two hours.

Mohammad. K, a loader who witnessed the entire drama, said: “This is crazy. I have never seen anyone like this before.” 

“The police officer handed the man a phone to talk to someone. He spoke on the phone for few minutes and threw it back on the terrace. After that he decided to take the help of the officer and get back on the terrace,” another onlooker said. 

As the two-hour drama drew to a close, hundreds of onlookers surrounded and applauded the officer who prevented the man from falling to his death.

“It’s my job,” he said before he drove off in his car.