Delhi Police anti-obscene calls cell flooded with complaints
Friday, 09 January 2009, 18:32 IST   |    2 Comments
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New Delhi: Are you being harassed by lewd or objectionable phone calls, SMSes and e-mails? Don't bear this silently because help is at hand at the anti-obscene calls cell Delhi Police have just launched and which is already receiving some 50 complaints a day. However, offenders will get away with a minor rap on the knuckles: All that the police will do is to counsel them and warn them against repeating the call. "Delhi Police were receiving several complaints from women being troubled by lewd, objectionable and obscene phone calls besides SMSes and MMSes. We launched a dedicated cell on Dec 27 to address this problem," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat told IANS. Within a week of its formation, the cell has been receiving over 50 calls per day and over 10 forwarded SMSes and MMSes from women in the capital. Operating under the Delhi Police Crime Branch, the cell has three dedicated teams led by an inspector and with women constables as its members. "Complainants can call on the 24-hour helpline numbers of the cell. We will keep the identity of the callers confidential if they desire so and they won't be asked to come to a police station to register a case," Bhagat said. The phone numbers are 27894455 and 9911135446. Objectionable SMSes and MMSes along with the senders' phone number can be forwarded to the mobile number. Complaints can also be sent by e-mail at acp-sit-dl@nic.in. After receiving a complaint, a Delhi Police officer will return the call to elicit details of the phone number of the sender. "We are making all efforts to put the complainant at ease. We try to find out about the calls or SMSes received without being intrusive about the details so that the complainant does not feel offended," a Crime Branch officer who interacts with callers told IANS. An officer from the cell then telephones the offender and summons him to a police station for counselling. "We call the offender to the police station for counselling, besides warning him of stringent action in case the act is repeated. On an average we are able to address over a dozen of complaints daily," the officer said. Emphasising the need to address the issue, Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S Dadwal, during his annual press conference earlier this month, had said: "Many times it happens that women and girls receiving lewd phone calls or e-mails are not able to share the problem with their family members out of fear or shyness. They can now directly call our helpline numbers and we will help in sorting out the problem."
Source: IANS
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