25-year-old Panchkula woman facing jail for making prank calls to 112 helpline

Identified as Suman, a resident of Bir Ghaggar, Panchkula, the prank caller is facing up to three months in jail for obscene act and songs, and obstructing public servant from discharging duty

Making prank calls to emergency helpline 112 and hurling abuses on cops has landed a 25-year-old woman in trouble.

Police officials said abuse of the 112 helpline was a criminal offence and police will track down anyone who calls the helpline for reasons other than those for which it was intended (iStock)

Identified as Suman, a resident of Bir Ghaggar, Panchkula, the caller is facing up to three months in jail for obscene act and songs, and obstructing public servant from discharging duty.

As per a complaint filed by Rajesh Kalia, superintendent of police (SP), Telecom, a caller had been making prank calls to emergency helpline 112 and using abusive language.

“Such frequent calls are making the emergency service unavailable to people in distress and consuming our resources by wasting the precious time that can be helpful for a caller in need,” the SP said in the complaint sent to the Panchkula deputy commissioner of police.

Following investigation, the phone number was traced to a Bir Ghaggar resident, Suman.

On Thursday, she was booked under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 290 (public nuisance) and 294 (obscene act and songs) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector-5 police station.

The Haryana 112 Emergency Response Support System was launched by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in July 2021 for immediate response to the distress calls received from across the state. It is operated from the State Emergency Response Centre in Sector 3, Panchkula.

Police officials said abuse of the 112 helpline was a criminal offence and police will track down anyone who calls the helpline for reasons other than those for which it was intended.