Prank, fake calls to Bengaluru’s Namma 112 helpline: A recurring challenge for police control room operators and Hoysala teams
The emergency response system of the Bengaluru Police is facing a persistent problem. A message was received through the Hoysala Control Room recently. The caller
The emergency response system of the Bengaluru Police is facing a persistent problem. A message was received through the Hoysala Control Room recently. The caller, later identified as Umesh, said that four persons had been assaulted near a gate within Bandepalya police station limits. Acting on the information, ASI Venkatesh M. and other police personnel, along with local police staff, rushed to the location to verify the complaint. However, upon reaching the spot, officers found that no such incident had occurred. Police conducted inquiries in the area and contacted the informant, Umesh, who had reportedly provided the information through a mobile phone number. Further verification revealed that the alert was false and no assault or law-and-order issue had taken place at the reported location. Based on the findings, Bandepalya Police registered an NCR and initiated legal proceedings against the caller for allegedly furnishing false information to the police. The emergency helpline handled 5,01,813 genuine Calls for Service (CFS) in 2025, It also received a staggering 15,88,868 blank calls and 7,848 crank calls. The trend has continued in 2026, with 1,91,708 service calls, 5,62,911 blank calls and 3,532 crank calls recorded in the first half of the year.
A recurring challenge Police sources said such prank and fake emergency calls have become a recurring challenge for control room operators and Hoysala patrol teams. Officials noted that every emergency alert requires immediate deployment of personnel, and false information not only wastes police resources but can also delay response to genuine emergencies. The city police’s 112 Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) is increasingly struggling under the weight of blank and crank calls, with control room staff — particularly women operators — bearing the brunt of the misuse. Official data shows that while the emergency helpline handled 5,01,813 genuine Calls for Service (CFS) in 2025, it also received a staggering 15,88,868 blank calls and 7,848 crank calls. The trend has continued in 2026, with 1,91,708 service calls, 5,62,911 blank calls and 3,532 crank calls recorded in the first half of the year. Police officials said blank calls are those in which callers remain silent or fail to respond, while crank calls involve deliberate misuse of the emergency service through abusive language, harassment and nuisance behaviour. Women operators bear the brunt The situation has become a major challenge for women working at the 112 command centre.
The BriefWire