BENGALURU: The newly-launched single emergency response number 112 has been receiving an alarming number of prank calls every day since its inception last month. An official source said, “Dial 112 receives at least three lakh calls per day, but these are not for emergency services. These are either prank calls or wrongly dialled phone numbers. We have been cautioning the public to not misuse the emergency number but prank calls continue to mount by the day.”
The helpline number is an integrated service of police, fire and ambulance to a person in distress. "Approximately three lakhs calls land per day. Most calls are due to accidental pressing of buttons, incomplete calls, pranks and irrelevant calls, which create unnecessary congestion and affect the genuine calls," stated the Superintendent of Police, wireless.