Fewer takers for women SMS helpline number

The SMS helpline number — 9969777888 — started around two years ago by the then Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has received a lukewarm response by women this year. The helpline was introduced two months after the rape and murder of Esther Anuhya (24) in January 2014. Last January approximately 1,266 SMSes were received but this January it dropped drastically to just 389 texts.

A police official said they are planning to take measures to revive the helpline number, including spreading awareness about it through their Twitter handle that has over 34,000 followers.

API Ashwini Koli of web development centre who maintains the record said, “Till now, no incident has occurred where we had to refer to these numbers. We have tried using it to trace missing women. We received a lot of SMSes during holiday seasons. This month the response has been less.”

A monthly report has been sent to DCP Sheela Sail who heads the crime against women cell. Ms Sail spreads awareness about this number whenever she attends awareness meets for women. Anuhya, a techie, had travelled with a stranger Chandrabhan Sanap who raped and murdered her. He was sentenced to death in October last year.

The police went through the gruelling exercise of recording statements of several hundred persons, checking call data records, on record criminals and checking CCTV cameras before finally zeroing down on Sanap.

The Mumbai police then came up with the idea that women can send them the registration number of the taxi, rickshaw or any other vehicle they use for travel if they suspect the driver could harm them. The idea was to deter the driver and to ensure the driver could be easily traced if he committed any crime against the woman.

The number was started under the ‘Travel Safe When Alone’ initiative. The number was provided by the MTNL, which has maintained the record of all the registration numbers of vehicles sent to them on the mobile number.