'Apathy, frustration forced woman to climb mobile tower'

But police investigations have revealed that it was frustration which forced her to take the extreme step.

Sapna, who worked as a clerk in an MP’s office in Mumbai, made her way to the top of the mobile tower, was highlighting series of injustices meted out on her. Sapna’s life became miserable after her husband Hilary Issac Pereira, a native of Bajpe, died in road mishap. While the news of her husband’s death brought shock to Sapna’s mind, the responsibility of raising her 13-year-old visually challenged daughter made her more worrisome. She reportedly took her daughter to the Shankar Hospital in New Delhi 47 times for treatment. However, doctors told Sapna that her daughter’s deteriorating vision may be cured in the United States.

Sapna started pooling money to take daughter to the US after enrolling her in a residential school in Pune. In the meantime, she returned to Mangalore to check the status of a robbery complaint she had registered in 2007 in Bajpe police station. After checking in at a lodge near Hampankatta, she went to meet the Police Commissioner to explain the injustice meted out to her at the Bajpe police station with regard to her complaint. However, her efforts to meet the Commissioner went futile. When she reached the hotel room, she was in a shock as hotel staff reportedly robbed her of Rs 47,000 in cash, gold worth Rs 1.5 lakh and a bag containing her daughter’s passport and other documents. Frustrated Sapna decided to grab the public attention by climbing up a mobile tower when police refused to register her complaint.

Gold, cash recovered

Mangalore North police, who registered the complaint of Sapna, could recover gold and cash from four hotel staff. However, the police could not recover Sapna’s and her daughter’s passport. It was found that the passports, which were the valuable possession of Sapna, was set ablaze by the hotel staff. Sapna will have to wait for about two months to obtain duplicate passports for herself and and her daughter.  

Sapna did not forget to thank North Police Inspector Vinay Gaonker and Sub Inspector Manjunath for hearing her complaint and helping her. She also got photos clicked with police officers before leaving Mangalore. “Sapna is a mother, who is struggling to raise her daughter with the best medical help. She is alright and not mad as she was made out to be, said a police officer.