KUANTAN: As a father to a teenage daughter, the only thing that came to Maznan Omar's mind when he spotted a girl seated on the ledge of a flyover along the KL-Karak Highway in Bentong was to bring her down unharmed.
The Bukit Tinggi police station chief with the rank of Sergeant Major accomplished his mission some 45 minutes later, only after some tense and heart-stopping action under the scorching hot weather.
Maznan stole the spotlight on March 16 when he managed to grab the 16-year-old girl from behind and pull her away from the edge of the flyover in an incident that was captured on a video recording that went viral on social media.
However, the 57-year-old prefers to stay under the radar, saying he was only trying to do what any father would have done to save a daughter.
"Being a father myself, my instinct was only to save the girl... I believe any other policeman in my situation would also go the extra mile to ensure the victim is safe and sound. After rescuing the victim, I realised she was the same age as my youngest daughter.
"When I arrived at the scene, I had no idea why she was attempting to jump or why she made such a decision, but I am grateful there were no untoward incidents. I have been with the police for about 35 years and this is the first time I have experienced such an incident (attempted suicide)," he said when contacted today.
Recalling the events leading to the rescue mission, the father-of-four said after police were alerted, he had gone to the spot along with two other policemen about 2.10pm.
"As we reached the spot, there was a terrible traffic congestion and we spotted a girl walking at the edge of the flyover. I told one colleague to control the traffic, while another followed me towards the flyover.
"I slowly approached the girl and spent several minutes persuading her to step down and asked what was bothering her, but she never responded. She chose to remain quiet and each time I tried to get close, she seemed restless and I was worried, she might jump," he said.
Maznan, who was posted to Bukit Tinggi about a year ago, said when firemen spread a salvage sheet below the flyover in an attempt to catch the girl if she decided to jump, he decided to swing into action.
"She did not want anyone to come close and I was forced to stand several metres away near the edge of the flyover. Everyone including those below the flyover were waiting anxiously as we did not know what was going through her mind or what will be her next move.
"Later, I told her that since she did not want to speak, I had decided to leave. I brought out my handphone on the pretext of answering a call before slowly walking towards her back.
"When she started to turn her head, I realised it was an opportunity to catch her off-guard and dashed to pull her onto the road before other policemen came to our aid. Even before pulling her, I was not sure if the move was timely, fearing she might choose to jump or do something else," he said, adding that those below who had gathered to watch the high-drama erupted with joy when he signalled that the girl was safe.
Maznan said Pahang Health Committee chairman Datuk Seri Norol Azali Sulaiman, who was coincidently travelling along the stretch, also stopped to help the girl to calm down before she was taken to the Bentong police headquarters.
Maznan and his team's heroic actions have not gone unnoticed as Pahang's National Council of Women's Organisations Malaysia visited them at the Bukit Tinggi police station to present an appreciation letter and hampers containing food and cottage industry products on Sunday.
Bentong police chief Superintendent Zaiham Mohd Kahar was reported as saying that investigations showed that the girl's father had scolded her for spending too much time playing games on the phone and had seized the device.
He had said the girl, who had been receiving treatment for depression prior to the incident, was later taken to Bentong Hospital.
State police chief Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan had also congratulated Maznan for his bravery and timely intervention.
