SEREMBAN: Fire and Rescue Department officials were forced to free a woman and her two young children who had been locked inside their home by her depressed husband.

       District police chief ACP Mohd Said Ibrahim said the firemen arrived at the victim's home in Taman Nusa Intan after receiving a call from a concerned neighbour around 8.50pm Monday.

       "When the firemen arrived, they saw the main gate, grille and back door locked. They tried to reason with the husband to unlock the front grille, but he refused to cooperate," he said.

       ACP Mohd Said said the firemen were then forced to cut the grille lock to get into the house.

       The man, who was detained, was later released to allow him to get treatment.

       Earlier, Senawang Fire and Rescue operation officer Zainurin Sarip said his men rushed to the house within minutes after getting the call.

       He said despite coaxing the man to unlock the grille, he refused to do so.

       When the firemen threatened to cut the lock, he claimed to have misplaced the keys.

       “We then went ahead and cut the lock to get the family members out," he said, adding that the woman and her two children were allowed to go to a neighbour's house while the husband was handed over to the police.

       Zainurin said prior to the incident, the man's wife had told a neighbour that he had been depressed, and that her brother had also come over to talk to him.

       He said despite his condition, the man did not harm his wife or their children, aged one year and four months, respectively.