HYDERABAD: For a year now, Geetha (name changed to protect identity) has been receiving calls from VVIPs, top police officials and intelligence officers from the governments of Telangana and states and even of India. But she is no high-level government official. She is not even from Telangana. She is a 35-year-old school teacher based in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, who receives at least 10-15 calls and messages a day, including from the Telangana Chief Minister's Office, simply because Telangana Police Department’s telephone directory lists her's as the contact number of the additional superintendent of police in the Intelligence Security Wing (ISW).
The ISW is responsible for organising the security details of chief ministers, ministers, public representatives and VVIPs visiting Telangana.
Geetha, therefore, has spent the past year saying "wrong number" in response to phone calls seeking details of security arrangements made for visiting dignitaries.
Just days ago, Geetha received a call at midnight from the staff of a religious guru seeking details of security arrangements made for his visit to Hyderabad. They wanted the school teacher to explain the security and pilot vehicle arrangements made to take him from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to the venue. "Wrong number," is all they got as a response from Geetha's irate husband.
Worse was when a senior Telangana police officer called her asking for details of security provided to Armed Reserve (AR) forces in Hyderabad for an event. When she tried to explain that he had the wrong number, the furious officer shouted at her.
Geetha recently summoned the courage to make a complaint about her personal BSNL mobile number being wrongly listed in the Telangana police telephone directory.
"I have had this phone number since my marriage 10 years ago and I am still using the same SIM card. For the past one year, I have been receiving at least 10-15 calls per day asking about security arrangements and personal security officers. I am vexed with answering these calls," the teacher told New Indian Express.
"As a married woman and a teacher, I have a hectic schedule and am not allowed to use my phone when in class. After school, I come home and take tuitions. On top of all this, it is very difficult to answer phone calls from unknown people. My husband has been very understanding as strangers are calling me thinking it’s the number is of a police officer,'' she rued.