Turkish man saves Syrian woman’s life, accused of theft

ISTANBUL

A Syrian woman who attempted to commit suicide by jumping into the cold sea in Istanbul has accused her rescuer of stealing her cell phone. 

According to Demirören News Agency, an unidentified Syrian woman left a taxi in Istanbul’s Fatih district on Jan. 21, before running to the coast and jumping into the sea.

A member of the crew on a boat that was passing saw the woman as she was drowning and jumped to rescue her. He managed to pull her to the coast alive and well.

After being rescued, the Syrian woman filed a criminal complaint against the Turkish man by claiming that he stole her cellphone.

“I am the one who called the police and the ambulance after saving her. I didn’t take her phone,” the man said as he was detained pending investigation.

An eyewitness confirmed the man’s testimony, stressing that he did not even take the woman to his boat but immediately carried her to the coast for the ambulance.