![\"UK](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2024-03\/7cg0n8ug_dr-krisztina-ilko_625x300_05_March_24.jpeg\"\/ "\\"UK")
<\/div>\nDr Krisztina Ilko, trapped in a bathroom, picked the lock using unusual tools.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A University of Cambridge academic, Dr Krisztina Ilko, found herself in a sticky situation on Thursday after getting locked inside her bathroom. But with some quick thinking and a few common household items, she managed to escape after seven hours, according to BBC.<\/em><\/p>\n The ordeal unfolded in Dr. Ilko’s historic flat, located inside a mediaeval tower within the former residence of 16th-century philosopher Erasmus at Queens’ College. The plot thickened when a plumber working on her shower unknowingly broke the bathroom door lock, neglecting to inform her.<\/p>\n As per the news outlet<\/a>, Trapped with no windows and thick walls muffling her cries for help, Dr Ilko faced a potentially lengthy wait for liberation. Thankfully, her flat wasn’t scheduled for cleaning for another four days.<\/p>\n However, Dr Ilko refused to succumb to despair. In a display of resourcefulness, she fashioned a makeshift lockpick using an eyeliner pen and a cotton ball. After seven long hours, she managed to manipulate the lock’s mechanism and free herself.<\/p>\n “The plumber broke the lock in the bathroom and forgot to tell me. I went in and got locked in. The door is solid wood and wouldn’t break. I was stuck for 7 hours (I thought I’d be there for days, as no one could hear). Finally, I handpicked the lock with an eyeliner and an ear pick,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n The plumber broke the lock in the bathroom and forgot to tell me. I went in, got locked in. The door is solid wood and wouldn’t break. I was stuck for 7 hours (I thought I’d be there for days, as no one could hear). Finally, handpicked the lock with an eyeliner and an ear pick. pic.twitter.com\/oDyw73bQ4t<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dr Krisztina Ilko (@krisztina_ilko) February 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Dr Ilko’s story has garnered significant attention, highlighting the ingenuity that can emerge in unexpected situations.<\/p>\n “I was trying to remember how long a person can survive on just water and hoping that I wouldn’t die there,” Dr Ilko told BBC News.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n “If people came looking for me would they check the bathroom, or would I have to wait for Monday.<\/p>\n “I tried to bang the shower head on the door, break it with brute force, and shout for help but nothing worked and no-one could hear me.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n