Mumbai: An arrested accused lodged in the Borivali Police's lockup attempted to commit suicide, but his bid was averted by a policeman on night round on August 1. The undertrial tried to use a cloth to commit suicide. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

According to Borivali Police sources, the incident occurred on the night intervening July 31 and August 1, when the accused, Abdul Shaikh, who was lodged in a Borivali police station's lock-up after he was apprehended by Dahisar Police in a robbery case. Police said that Shaikh was in the lock-up with 13 other accused, however, when a policeman on night round went for a routine check, he found only 13 inmates in the lock-up cell.

Upon checking for the 14th inmate, he saw that Shaikh was trying to hang himself with a cotton towel, given for the inmates to wash up.

The policeman immediately alerted his colleagues who brought Shaikh out of his lock-up and questioned him about his intentions and trigger. He was counselled by the policemen and later booked under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code for attempt to commit suicide.

Shaikh, 26, was arrested by Dahisar Police on July 29 for robbing gold ornaments from a jewellery shop. He was produced before a local magistrate court and remanded in police custody till August 2.