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Man Stages ‘Suicide Drama’ to Raise Money to 
Meet Father’s Dialysis Cost


ABU DHABI - A 23-year-old Egyptian staged a suicide drama here on Monday evening climbing to the roof of a building at Khalifa Street here and threatening to jump, enacting a scene in an Egyptian movie, to get the sympathy of people.

Brigadier Omier Al Muhairi, Director of Abu Dhabi Police, told Khaleej Times that the man, Mohammad, was enacting the scene in Egyptian movie ‘Abu Al Arabi’ in which a character climbs a high-rise building and threatens to throw himself down if he is not granted an apartment.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ali Ibrahim, Head of Al Madina police station, said the man told interrogators that his father was seriously ill due to kidney failure back home and he needed a huge amount of money for the latter’s dialysis every week.

He called 999, telling the police that someone was trying to commit suicide by jumping from Hurya Tower in Abu Dhabi.

The rescue and emergency teams and Civil Defence personnel rushed to the scene around 5.30pm to find a group of people holding the suspect on the roof of the building.

The policemen immediately arrested him and took him to the police station for questioning.

‘’Investigations revealed that the man was not a watchman but a worker at a contracting company and he is not a resident of the building. He chose the building for its location in the crowded area. The tower is opposite a famous cinema house and he wanted to enact the movie scene,” Ibrahim said.

Mohammad told investigators that he drew a monthly salary of Dh900. He needed a huge amount of money for his father’s dialysis every week. He tried to borrow money from his employer and compatriots without success. He staged the suicide drama to make the police and people believe he was serious about ending his life so as to get their sympathy.

He will be referred to the Public Prosecution soon.

adel@khaleejtimes.com