The Hindu : New Delhi News : Hoax calls a growing nuisance

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Saturday, Aug 09, 2008
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New Delhi

Hoax calls a growing nuisance

Individuals indulging in such acts need to be dealt with an iron hand, says
Ashok Kumar

Every serial blast or terror attack is followed by a slew of hoax calls that keep the police on their toes and cause great inconvenience to the public.

In the recent past a series of anonymous calls to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation claiming that a bomb had been planted at Chawri Bazar metro station created an atmosphere of panic in the area. As many as six hoax calls were received within a span of 45 days. And every time a call was made, bomb disposal and dog squad teams had to be rushed to conduct searches at the underground station, disrupting metro service to the inconvenience of hundreds of daily commuters.

When the accused was eventually arrested, the story emerged that he was making false calls to take revenge on a security staff who had prevented him from entering the Central Secretariat metro station in April as he was drunk. And that was not an isolated case. The Delhi Police Control Room received a total of 6,370 bogus calls last year -- an average of 17 calls a day. In 2006, there were 8,771 such calls.

“In most cases, the police know fully well that the call has been made with an intention to harass others. But with so many lives at stake, there is no option but to treat every call sincerely and carry out complete anti-sabotage checks each time. On receiving such calls, our efforts are to trace the source of the call provided there is ample time. But it is not always possible, especially when we have to fight against time,” said a senior police officer.

“Such fake calls not just lead to wastage of manpower and resources but also divert the attention of significant services such as the police and the fire brigade from those who might be in actual need of them,” he added.

As seen in most cases, hoax calls are usually made by sadistic minds either to gain mental satisfaction from causing pain and suffering to others or take revenge on others without having the courage to come out in the open.

On some occasions, the caller considers it harmless fun without knowing that it could put him behind bars.

Sometimes even educated people are seen resorting to such dirty tactics for whatever reasons. Recently a middle-aged teacher of a reputed public school holding a doctorate was arrested for sending a hoax text message to blow up the Supreme Court. She purportedly bore a grudge against an advocate and wanted to take revenge on him.

No doubt individuals indulging in such acts need to be dealt with an iron hand and handed down strict punishment that may act as a deterrent for others. But at the same time psychological aspects of the crime cannot be ignored altogether. Hence the people making such calls must also be imparted proper counselling. Also, making people aware about the consequences of such acts would go a long-way in dealing with the growing menace of hoax calls.

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