A three-hour rescue operation concluded successfully on Monday night in Pune's Nigdi Yamunanagar area, where a youth described by police as 'mentally unstable' had climbed a 132 kV high-tension transmission tower. Authorities not only brought the unidentified individual down safely but also prevented a major power disruption. Traffic was diverted onto the Bhakti Shakti-Talawade Road in Pimpri Chinchwad during the incident.
A large crowd gathered as the youth, perched more than 100 feet (30-35 meters) high on the tower, allegedly performed risky stunts and hung from support cables used to balance the structure. The rescue operation involved fire brigade personnel, police, and officials from the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (MSETCL).
Rescue Operation Details
Fire brigade officials reported receiving an alert around 9:15 pm and dispatched nearly 50 personnel to the site with equipment including a 55-meter-high Bronto Skylift. During the rescue, the man attempted to throw down a joint of the tower's earthing wire, but no one was injured. Rushikant Chipade, fire officer of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), noted that the operation was delayed due to dangers from the high-tension power line.
MSETCL officials took nearly an hour to shut down the power supply, as safety protocols require a gradual disconnection. After shutdown, a 30-minute wait was necessary for residual static current to dissipate. Once the team reached the youth, he was brought down safely within 15-20 minutes, completing the rescue around 11:30 pm.
Precautionary Measures
While MSETCL worked on power shutdown, fire brigade and police teams tried to persuade the youth to climb down. A jumping sheet and tarpaulin were spread beneath the tower as a safety measure. The large crowd complicated the rescue, an official said.
A senior MSETCL official stated that supply on the affected line was disconnected for nearly two and a half hours, but consumers faced no outages due to alternate arrangements. If backup were unavailable, many residential users and major industries, including the Bajaj plant, could have been affected. Power supply resumed around 12:20 am.
Youth Taken into Custody
Senior Police Inspector Mahesh Bansode of Nigdi police station said the youth appeared mentally unstable and could not reveal his identity. He was sent to Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) for treatment, and no legal action has been taken. His identity remains unknown.
