Hoax terror calls, SMSes give cops sleepless nights

In the background of terror attacks, the police are now having to deal with another menace – hoax terror calls and hoax SMSes.

The Delhi Police is on its toes before the festive season begins and making matters worse for them are pranksters.

SSP Faridabad Shrikant Jadhav, who recently received a hoax call, said, “We are getting hoax calls. They take time and resources to go and check out. Such calls make our life difficult.”

Threat perception has shot up after the serial blasts in the Capital and PCR phone lines have been buzzing with hoax calls. The Faridabad Police claims to have received 80 fake messages this year and Delhi on an average gets two hoax calls a week.

The Delhi Police has decided to come down heavily on those taking advantage of the threat perception. While it might be simple to dial 100 and create panic, it will be more difficult for those responsible for these calls to get off easily.

For now, the Delhi Police will charge the troublemakers under section 505-B of the Indian Penal Code, which is a non-bailable offence with a maximum punishment of upto three years.

Meanwhile, the public, too, has welcomed the move. “We are afraid but we have to be more alert,” a resident of the city said.

Bomb hoax in Faridabad; two pranksters held

Faridabad police have arrested two final year B Tech students of a local engineering college for giving wrong information about a bomb.

Jatin and Sunny were arrested yesterday after police found that their SMSes to officials of the local police station were found to be false, police here said.

"There was a false news about a bomb in the town," IGP Shriniwas Vashisht told PTI.

The SMSes to local police claimed that there was a bomb near Banke Behari Mandir close to NH 5 in Faridabad. On reaching the spot police recovered a toy bomb made of asbestos tied with a wire, police said.

The students who reportedly admitted to their offence were tracked down by police from their mobile phones used to send the SMSes.