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434 hoax calls to UP112 in 312 days! Hunt on for culprit
Frustrated with the continuous nuisance, Meerut UP112 in-charge Balram Singh Yadav filed a first information report (FIR) at Ganga Nagar police station against the accused, Rahul Chowdhary, on November 12. Yadav detailed in his complaint how the calls repeatedly disrupted police operations. Each false report sent police response vehicles (PRVs) to fabricated incident sites, consuming critical resources and time. “Such actions jeopardise our ability to respond to real emergencies and create unnecessary stress for our personnel,” Yadav stated.
A hoax caller has kept the UP Police’s emergency response system, UP112, on edge for nearly 11 months, troubling personnel in Meerut with false alarms, abusive language, and negative feedback. Between January 1 and November 7, 2024 (312 days) the relentless caller made an astounding 434 calls—an average of more than one call per day.
Frustrated with the continuous nuisance, Meerut UP112 in-charge Balram Singh Yadav filed a first information report (FIR) at Ganga Nagar police station against the accused, Rahul Chowdhary, on November 12.
Yadav detailed in his complaint how the calls repeatedly disrupted police operations. Each false report sent police response vehicles (PRVs) to fabricated incident sites, consuming critical resources and time. “Such actions jeopardise our ability to respond to real emergencies and create unnecessary stress for our personnel,” Yadav stated.
The accused was charged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 212 for providing false information to public servants, Section 217 for misleading with intent to harm others, Section 221 for obstructing public servants, and Section 352 for provoking actions that could disturb public peace.
According to Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Meerut’s additional superintendent of police (Rural), investigations revealed that the mobile number used for the hoax calls was registered to Sunita Devi, wife of Nagendra Singh, a resident of Rajpur village on Mawana road. Further inquiries revealed that the phone was being used by her son, Rahul Chowdhary, who has been absconding for months.
“When police reached his residence, family members disowned him, claiming he has not lived there for some time,” a police official involved in the investigation disclosed. Efforts are underway to trace Chowdhary and bring him to justice.
The complainant informed that UP112 received 41-42 such hoax calls every month from the accused, and he used to say that he is away from the event site when PRV personnel used to call him after reaching the spot. “These repeated calls not only waste valuable police resources but also delay responses to real emergencies,” Yadav added.
