The police officials in Kolkata are confused whether to attend calls on emergency helpline 100 or not! The police officials of Salt Lake have alleged that they get so many prank calls that it makes difficult for them to help people in distress.
According to reports, the Police Control Room (PCR) receives over 1,000 prank or fake calls a day. Operators, who attend the call on three phones have a tough time deciding who are real and genuine people in distress, who need immediate police help.
The situation is such that unhappy girlfriends dial 100 after a fight with their boyfriends. So do mobile shop owners to show customers that the phone is working. Sometimes, drunk men or little children call up just for a laugh at night, while at times parents call cops asking them to come over and rebuke their children for not studying.
The primary objective of the toll-free emergency number is to be the first responder to a distress call and coordinate between different police stations to help the caller immediately. However, with so many prank or fake calls daily, operators working have a tough time as people in real distress are often put on hold.
To stop the misuse of number 100, there is a provision under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code to punish fake callers.
If found guilty, the caller can face jail term of one year or a fine of Rs 1,000. Besides, warning notices are issued to people under Section 149 of Criminal Procedure Code.
Here are some kind of fake or pranks calls that are made on daily basis:
- Unhappy girlfriends call cops to get their boyfriends arrested.
- Mobile shop owners make ‘testing’ calls to 100 to show customers that mobile is working fine.
- Children make calls just to have fun!
- Parents make calls to police and tell them to scold their children for not studying.
- Sometimes people make a call and put
the receiver down, without uttering anything. - Some children make false reports on fire or accidents or crime!
