“Policeman-driver of the 4th Administration of the Russian MIA for Bronnitsy of the Moscow Region Senior Police Sergeant Mikhail Ponkratov saved the life of a 1.5-year old boy. On his day-off, the policeman heard his neighbors crying because a kid had fallen into the sewer in front of their eyes and rushed to rescue the child without any hesitation,” said Russian MIA official representative Irina Volk.

The narrow well in the yard of the building could have become a place of tragedy: the little boy had been walking with his nurse; the woman had got distracted just for a minute and heard the child crying from the sewer. The neighbors ran up to help, including policeman Ponkratov.

“I was washing the car when I heard calls for help. Without hesitating, I rushed into the direction of the cries,” policeman-driver of the 4th Administration of the Russian MIA Senior Police Sergeant Mikhail Ponkratov recalls the events of that day. “Then I saw that the neighbors gathered around the narrow well, and heard a child crying from the sewer. I realized that I could not lose a moment and decided to get out the child myself. I took a long brush that was close at hand. It so happened that I pressed the boy to the wall of the well with the brush and started pulling him up. Thus I slowly took him out.”

The rescue operation took less than a minute. The ambulance that arrived inspected the boy. They said that the kid was lucky: he had no injuries after having fallen from the 3-meter height.

Yet, the kid's father is still unable to cope with the shock. He was in the office when he learnt of the incident. “I am so happy to have so sympathetic neighbors. They rescued my child. I can hardly imagine what would have happened to me if there had been another outcome,” the boy's father Kakhor Kakhorov said.

Mikhail decided not to tell his colleagues about his deed. But the grateful neighbors called to the police. Senior Police Sergeant Ponkratov received gratitude for the kid's rescue from the management. Mikhail will also be nominated for award.

“This is a really manly deed,” believes Chief of the 4th Administration of the Russian MIA Colonel of Police Evgeny Monisov. “It is good that Mikhail Ponkratov turned to be in the right place at the right time. I don't want even to imagine what could have happened and how it could have ended if not for the policeman's prompt actions.”

Ponkratov's colleagues say that nothing bad can happen if there is Senior Police Sergeant Ponkratov around. The rescued kid is already the second case when Mikhail came to help: a year ago (also on his day-off), he had carried out an elderly woman from a burning house.