Interpol, Mumbai police save man from taking own life after Google alert on ‘suicide’ search

Mumbai: A 28-year-old man who was looking up ways to commit suicide on Google was saved thanks to a swift response from the Mumbai police and Interpol.

According to the police, the man from the city's northern suburbs was upset because he lacked the money to bail out his mother, who had been behind bars for the last two years, as he was unemployed.

When someone searches for such issues on its site, Google notifies Interpol as a measure to prevent suicide. The Internet giant then provides the relevant nation's law enforcement agency with information regarding the person's Internet Protocol (IP), Indian Express reported.

Such crimes are handled by the Mumbai police's Crime Branch in Mumbai. A Crime Branch (Unit XI) officer claimed that Interpol had provided them with a tip on the city resident who was looking for information about suicide.

On Tuesday, the police team was able to locate him using the IP address. The individual was identified by the police as being from Rajasthan and had lived with family members close to Mumbai for some time.

An officer said that his mother, a resident of Mumbai, had been imprisoned for about two years following her arrest. The individual was having trouble finding work after he lost it over six months ago. “Hence, he could not gather money to bail out his mother. Stressed out by these factors he contemplated committing suicide,” the officer said.

The police team counselled the man that his issues were temporary and quickly resolvable, the officer claimed.

They then told his cousin and requested him to look after the man. In addition, the police assured the man that they would support his job search.