Woman gets obscene calls, city court makes police act

A 25-year-old woman has moved court over “police inaction” after she alleged that her husband and his brother-in-law were behind “unsolicited and vulgar” phone calls recieved by her and her father in late August.

The Uttam Nagar resident had been receiving phone calls asking if she was a sex worker. She reported the matter to police, and later approached Tis Hazari court over police inaction.

A case under the Information Technology Act was finally filed on Monday against her husband Deepak Yadav, his brother-in-law Sanjay Yadav and a woman named Reena Yadav.

The woman allegedly received several calls on her mobile phone on August 21 and 22, with some persons asking if she was a prostitute. Shocked by the calls, she immediately lodged a complaint with the 24-hour helpline for women in distress number 1091.

One caller told her that he had received a friend request from a profile on social networking website Facebook. “The caller told her that her mobile number was posted on the profile page,” sources said.

She later received an SMS from the phone number in which the Facebook profile’s link was provided.

The woman checked the link and found that her mobile phone number was given as a sex worker’s number, and her father’s mobile number as that of an agent.
She then learnt that her father too had received phone calls.

The woman was lodged a complaint with the Joint Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) on August 24. But no action was taken against the suspects nor any satisfactory reply given to her, she alleged.

The woman claims she was left with no other option except to file a complaint before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Tis Hazari court.

“The allegations in the complaint disclose commission of cognisable offences. As per the status report no FIR is registered till date. Cyber Cell Crime Branch is specialised agency for dealing with the matters under Information and Technology Act.

Accordingly, Cyber Cell Crime Branch is directed to register FIR and start investigation,” said Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (West) Ajay Pandey in his order.

A report about the progress of investigation has to be filed on December 3, said the court.