HERO COPS
■ Constables Mudliar, Ravoka ran through thick black smoke and raging fire to save 85-year-old man
■ Officer Mudliar slips and injures hand during rescue
■ Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho lauds officers for making great sacrifice to save those in need
Vineshwan Mudliar ran through raging fire and thick black smoke with only one thought in mind, to save the man stuck on the third floor of his burning home in Kennedy Avenue, Nadi.
The fire on Thursday night destroyed a floor of the three-storey building and 11 vehicles.
Although there were three firefighting crew members on site, who are trained for such calamities, two Police officers did not hesitate to save a soul trapped in the raging inferno.
Imaam Ali, 85, the owner of Imaam Taxi Limited, was trapped on the third floor of his house at the time of the blaze.
Police Constable Mudliar, 32, who
was returning home from work with Special Constable Sekove Ravoka, witnessed the fire and immediately went to aid the family.
“We helped the family make their way downstairs. I asked them if anyone was left in the house and Mr Imaam’s son, Mansoor Ali, told me that his dad was still on the third floor,” Constable Mudliar said. “I saw thick black smoke and flames on the first and the second floors. I did not think twice. I could not let an old man get trapped and die. Some people were telling me not to go up because I could lose my life.”
Constable Mudliar made his way through thick black smoke and could hear explosions on the other side of the house.
“I slipped and hurt myself, but I was able to reach out to the old man and help carry him down the stairs. On our way down, I called out to SC Ravoka for help,” he said. Constable Mudliar met Constable Ravoka halfway down the stairs and together they were able to take Mr Imaam to safety.
Constable Ravoka said they had intended to follow the Nadi Back Road route, but it was God’s will for them to follow the Namaka route, which led them to save a life.
The Constables’ heroic efforts did not go unnoticed.
Mr Ali said he would never forget how the brave officers put their own lives at risk to save him. Police Commissioner BrigadierGeneral Sitiveni Qiliho stands proud of the bravery shown by his two officers.
“Our purpose is to serve and more often than not Police officers attend to a dangerous situation the last thoughts on their minds is their own safety but the safety and wellbeing of those in need,” Brigadier-General
Qiliho said.
“There have been situations that have cast a negative shadow over our services, but there are thousands of others such as PC Vineshwan Mudliar and SC Sekove Raivoka, who continue to forge on with their work honestly and diligently with the main purpose of protecting life and property.”
The two officers are back at work, with Constable Mudliar using an arm strap.