‘I felt like Spider-Man’: Migrant worker who rescued boy from ledge of Hougang flat

SINGAPORE: “I must save him. I must save him,” was the constant refrain in Das Dipto’s mind when he saw a young, frightened boy perched precariously on the third-floor ledge outside a housing block on Sunday morning (Jan 3) at Hougang Street 22.

The 27-year-old landscape maintenance worker had been cleaning the boom lift - known as a spider lift - that he operated daily to prune trees, when a passer-by asked him and his colleague Biswas Jibom for help.

Speaking to CNA, Mr Dipto said that when the passer-by pointed to the boy on the ledge, he was instantly reminded of his young nephew back home in Bangladesh.

This spurred him to decide quickly that his spider lift would be the best option to save him.

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With Mr Biswas’ guidance, Mr Dipto carefully manoeuvred the large machine down a narrow path, flanked by an open drain on one side and jutting windows of the block on the other.

Later that morning, the boy’s mother, along with the boy, thanked Mr Dipto profusely.

“She said: 'Sir, you saved my son. Thank you, sir'," Mr Dipto said.

Mr Dipto didn’t know that his efforts had gone viral until later that day, when a friend asked him if he knew that his photos and videos were "all over the news".

Mr Dipto's deed was also going viral back in his hometown of Narail, Dhaka, thanks to his fourth brother, who also works for landscaping firm Yong Aik Construction, and had sent the video to their mother as well as friends and family.

During their daily phone call, Mr Dipto said his mother told him she was very happy he saved the child, and that many people had come up to her to ask if she knew her son working in Singapore had saved a boy.

“She was very happy and proud of me,” he said.

Mr Dipto posted photos of the rescue on his Facebook page on Monday night with the caption: "At a work time I saving one children life in Singapore... at last my life is a good job... l pray for the God I doing the work properly..."