Pune: A hoax call received by the police control room on the day of the Dahi Handi festival led to an immediate response from the Pune Police.

The caller reported that 30 to 40 individuals armed with swords and carrying liquor bottles were near Kamla Nehru Hospital, posing a potential threat.

However, when beat marshals rushed to the scene, they found no evidence of such a group. Efforts to reach the caller were unsuccessful as the phone was switched off.

Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar took the incident seriously and ordered an investigation.

The investigation revealed that the phone was registered to a woman who stated that her nephew, Rohit Mukesh Chavan (22) from Mangalwar Peth, was using the SIM card.

Rohit admitted that he made the call after seeing a crowd while on his way to work on the day of Dahi Handi and then turned off his phone. It was confirmed that Rohit had deliberately provided false information to the police. Beat Marshal Vivek Patil subsequently filed a complaint with the Faraskhana Police, and a case has been registered against Rohit Chavan.

Pune City Police have issued a reminder to all citizens to use emergency numbers 100 and 112 responsibly for immediate assistance. They warned that strict action would be taken against individuals making false calls for amusement or to cause disruption.

This operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Singh Gill and Assistant Commissioner of Police Nutan Pawar,

with contributions from Police Inspectors Prashant Bhasme and Ajit Jadhav, Assistant Police Inspectors Vaibhav Gaikwad and Ansar Shaikh, Police Sub-Inspector Arvind Shinde, and Police Constable Gaus Mulani.