Bengaluru, 28 July (H.S.):A false emergency call that prompted a police response in Bengaluru has once again highlighted the growing misuse of the city's 112 Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), with officials warning that prank calls are diverting valuable police resources and delaying assistance to people in genuine distress.

The incident began when the Hoysala Control Room received a call from a man identified as Umesh, who claimed that four people had been assaulted near a gate within the jurisdiction of the Bandepalya police station. Treating the information as a priority, the control room immediately dispatched a Hoysala patrol team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector Venkatesh M., along with local police personnel, to the reported location.

However, after reaching the spot and conducting a thorough search, the police found no evidence of any assault or disturbance. Officers questioned local residents and made further inquiries before contacting the caller for clarification. Their investigation confirmed that the information was entirely false and that no law-and-order incident had occurred at the location mentioned.

Following the inquiry, Bandepalya Police registered a Non-Cognisable Report (NCR) against Umesh for allegedly providing false information to the police and initiated legal proceedings.

Police officials said such fake emergency alerts have become a recurring problem for the city's control room and Hoysala patrol teams. Every distress call received through the 112 helpline is treated as genuine, requiring the immediate deployment of personnel and emergency resources. When calls turn out to be hoaxes, police time, manpower and vehicles are unnecessarily diverted, potentially affecting response times to real emergencies.

Officials also expressed concern over the increasing number of blank, prank and crank calls received by the ERSS. They said control room operators, particularly women personnel who handle emergency calls round the clock, are frequently subjected to harassment and abuse, adding to the operational burden on the city's emergency response system.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman