Watch | Meerut woman fakes emergency call to police to find ‘missing’ child, gets unattended drain cleaned

A woman from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly staged a fake emergency to get a clogged drain cleaned.

According to a video that has now gone viral on social media platforms, the woman called the authorities saying that a child had fallen into the open drain on Tuesday.

The call was met with immediate response from police and municipal teams, who rushed to the site and began a rescue operation.

After almost three hours of cleaning the accumulated waste and slush that blocked water flow and searching the drain, it was found that no child had fallen.

The woman had allegedly not called for rescue but attempted to force civic authorities into action and address a long-standing sanitation issue.

According to residents, the drain was not cleaned despite repeated complaints. However, the woman's action also attracted criticism.

What netizens say

The clip drew mixed reactions from social media users. While some said the woman's move was 'smart', others said such tactics could backfire.

A comment read, “When citizens have to invent emergencies just to get basic civic work done, that’s both hilarious and deeply concerning. If only accountability worked without the drama."

Meanwhile, several commenters pointed out the risk of authorities becoming less responsive to genuine emergencies in the future – a “boy who cried wolf" scenario.

“I would say job well done, but it’s equally concerning. First, the lie will slowly become the boy-who-cried-wolf story, and people won’t react if something real happens someday. Second, if management is free and has the resources, why not spend some time helping make our country cleaner and better?" read the comment.

Others said such measures were shameful for the government. “It took a false death claim for the government to do the needful? Shameful."

The incident raised questions about governance, civic responsibility and the need for more responsive local administration.

It also highlighted shortcomings in infrastructure. Poor drainage system and maintenance is a big issue in Indian cities.

According to a 2022 report by National Institute of Urban Affairs, 60-80 per cent of drains in several cities, including tier-two towns like Meerut, remain partially or fully clogged due to funding shortages, weak monitoring and poor enforcement.