Drama at airport as flyer attempts suicide

High drama prevailed at Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery on Friday morning when a passenger, said to be mentally unstable, threatened to commit suicide.

The 48-year-old from Kollam had arrived from Saudi Arabia via Mumbai on Thursday and had booked ticket for a Spice Jet flight to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday morning.

According to eyewitnesses, the man entered the domestic terminal but suddenly screamed and ran out of the departure terminal claiming to be chased by goons.

Though the CISF personnel tried to calm him down, he brushed them apart and took to his heels towards the air-cargo side. By the time the police also arrived at the scene.

He then climbed atop a building used as a warehouse and threatened to commit suicide even as the police and onlookers tried to cajole and bring him down. He demanded to speak to the media, and the police used it as a ruse to eventually bring him down. He was later taken to a nearby hospital.

The police said he was found to be mentally unstable. He was later taken to the police station where he was kept till his relatives arrived in the afternoon.