Elderly woman attempts to cut worker’s safety rope during high-rise maintenance
On 24 Sept, a 68-year-old woman known as Wang attempted to sever the safety rope of a worker performing exterior maintenance on a residential building in Anhui, China.
The worker, 38-year-old Ms Tao, was conducting waterproofing repairs on the 12th floor when she suddenly felt her rope shaking.
Source: 时间视频 on Weibo
Looking down, she saw Wang on the ninth floor, knife in hand, cutting the rope that was keeping her suspended mid-air.
Despite Ms Tao’s frantic shouts for Wang to stop, the elderly woman ignored her and continued cutting.
Fearing for her life, Ms Tao called the police.
Wang’s husband later arrived at the scene and, rather than intervening, reportedly claimed: “The wall belongs to me.”
He also allegedly threatened to cut the rope again if it hung near their property.
Frustration over dirty windows sparked dangerous act
Fortunately, Wang was stopped before any harm occurred.
An investigation by the Luyang Branch of the Hefei Public Security Bureau revealed that Wang’s actions were driven by her frustration over stains left on her stainless steel windows during previous repair work.
Angered when she noticed new construction taking place above her flat, she decided to cut the rope hanging outside her window.
A case has since been opened against Wang, and police are continuing their investigation.
Netizens cry ‘attempted murder’
The incident sparked outrage on social media, with many netizens condemning Wang’s behaviour as “attempted murder”.
Several pointed out that such incidents have occurred before, but authorities had not treated them seriously enough.
One commenter remarked: “This kind of thing has happened several times, and it was always handled lightly. Does it take someone dying for it to be taken seriously?”
Public frustration also turned towards property and community management, with some arguing that inadequate oversight had contributed to the escalating conflicts between residents and workers.
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Featured image adapted from 时间视频 on Weibo.
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