Photo for illustrative purposes only
Dubai - He had even tried to slash his wrist with a blade.
Published: Mon 2 Oct 2017, 4:47 PM
Updated: Tue 3 Oct 2017, 10:26 AM
The Dubai Police prevented a 13-year-old Arab boy - who was left abandoned by his mother in an apartment - from committing suicide.
The frustrated child called the police, threatening that he was going to take his own life. On hearing this, the cops swung into action and rushed to the place. When they reached there, the boy refused to open the door. After a lot of persuasion, he eventually did.
When they went in, they found the boy crying profusely. He had even tried to slash his wrist with a blade. The child had thrown all the furniture on the floor, said Lt. Col. Saeed Rashid Al-Hali, director of the women and children protection department.
On being asked about his mother, the boy revealed that around eight hours ago, she left him saying that she was travelling to a foreign land for her treatment, while giving him Dh5,000. She also told him to contact the police if he needed anything.
When asked about his father, he said he didn't want to see him, as he hated him because he was the cause of all his sufferings and never paid any attention to his needs.
The police immediately called the father. It then came to light that the mother was given custody of the child after she separated from her husband years back. She had sown seeds of hatred in the boy against his father, the man claimed.
It also surfaced after talking to the child that the mother reportedly had a skin disease and had her son believe that they were marks caused by his father's beatings.
Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullah Al Murr, director general of the human rights department of Dubai Police, said that the mother shouldn't have left the child alone in the apartment.
The human rights department has found out that the woman didn't actually travel to a foreign country (the Netherlands) for treatment, but to find a new residence.
Al Murr has instructed the department of social services in Sharjah to provide shelter to the child. He is also being given psychological counselling.
During some sessions with the boy and his father, it was revealed that the mother had created a lot of misunderstanding between them to keep the two apart. The man used to deposit child's expenses - including his school fees - in the mother's account to ensure that he did not discontinue studies. The father also expressed his regret for having been deprived to meet his son all these years.
A letter was submitted to the Dubai Public Prosecution to transfer custody of the child from his mother to his father. Till the case is heard, the boy will stay with his father.
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