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.

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. Operators are required to treat every incoming call as a potential emergency and cannot immediately disconnect silent callers, as the person on the other end may be in distress or unable to speak.

Officials said many nuisance callers specifically target women operators. “Some callers remain silent when a male operator answers, but become abusive when a woman picks up the call. They make inappropriate comments, ask personal questions and often use obscene language,” a senior police officer said.

The helpline receives between 8,000 and 10,000 calls every day, handling emergencies ranging from accidents and crimes to medical assistance requests. However, the overwhelming volume of non-genuine calls continues to consume valuable resources and operator time.

A woman staff member at the command centre said operators are trained to handle such situations professionally. “Most of the nuisance callers are intoxicated and become abusive once they realise the call has been answered by a woman. As per our standard operating procedure, we continue to engage with them initially because it could still be a genuine emergency. Once we determine that it is a prank or crank call, we either disconnect the call or transfer it to it our male colleagues or to the de-addiction helpline,” she said.

Blank calls triggered by emergency feature

Police said many blank calls are accidental and triggered by the emergency calling feature available on smartphones. Nevertheless, authorities have warned that strict action will be taken against individuals found deliberately misusing the emergency service.

To curb repeated misuse, nuisance callers are temporarily blocked for 24 hours. The numbers are subsequently restored to ensure that access to emergency services is not denied in the event of a genuine crisis.

Despite occasional legal action against repeat offenders, the problem persists, officials said. “We have registered cases against some habitual crank callers under various legal provisions to deter such behaviour and send a strong message. But the menace continues. It has become a professional hazard for us, and over time we have learned to cope with it,” a staff member at the 112 Emergency Response Centre said.

Officials urged citizens to use the 112 helpline responsibly, warning that every prank, abusive or unnecessary call diverts resources and could delay assistance to people facing real emergencies.