Kerala man saves toddler dangling from London window

Mohamed Jesil, originally from Kerala, rescued a three-year-old girl hanging from a window ledge in east London. Assisted by a police officer, he safely caught the child after she jumped, earning widespread praise for his quick-thinking action

London: An Indian-origin restaurant manager has become a local hero after his daring rescue of a three-year-old girl dangling from a window ledge in east London went viral. Mohamed Jesil, originally from Malappuram in Kerala, said he acted on instinct as he thought of his own children when he spotted the terrified little girl struggling to find her footing earlier this week.

The father of twins, aged five months, also credited his cricketing skills for the way he was able to take the tricky catch when the girl jumped. ‘I wasn’t scared, I just didn’t think. I’m not a hero, I just did it as a dad seeing a child in trouble,” Jesil told ‘Metro’.

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“I played cricket in India so that may have helped with my catching. I just knew I had to concentrate,” he said. “There was massive relief when I managed to catch her; she didn’t say anything, just gave me a big hug. I’m so happy it could help,” he added.

The girl’s father described the policeman and Jesil as “amazing heroes”. “They were both amazing. They were heroes. We are so relieved. They saved our child. She is fine thanks to them. We are very grateful,” he told the newspaper. Jesil’s social media handles have been inundated with praise since Tuesday, when the incident occurred in a flat above some shops on Ilford High Street.

“Thank you very much for all your kind words,” he said in response to the praise. The video of the rescue, which has been viral during the week, shows Jesil jump up a pawnbroker shop’s rooftop to join a police officer, also trying to help the girl climb down safely. Both men positioned themselves beneath her and could be seen encouraging her to make the leap, eventually landing in Jesil’s arms.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that officers were called to Ilford High Road on Tuesday late afternoon following concerns for the safety of a “child climbing onto a window ledge”. “The girl was brought to safety by 3.32 pm by an attending officer and member of the public. They did not receive any injuries,” the statement added.