Man held for false Dial 112 theft call, threatening cops in Beed

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 28-year-old man was remanded in judicial custody after he made a false theft call to Dial 112 and later allegedly threatened police personnel in Beed district.Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat said misuse of emergency services would not be tolerated. "Dial 112 is meant for citizens in distress. Providing false information not only wastes police resources but can also delay help to those who genuinely need it. We have instructed officers to take strict action against anyone found misusing the emergency helpline," Kanwat told TOI.The accused, Pradosh Jadhav, a resident of Kumbharwadi in Beed's Georai taluka, called Dial 112 around 10.20pm on Jan30 and claimed that gold and cash were stolen from Balaji Trading Company at Madalmohi. Personnel from the Madalmohi police outpost went to verify the complaint. Officials said that when the police contacted Jadhav to ascertain the exact location, he admitted over the phone that no theft occurred and that he made the call deliberately to "keep the police busy and cause inconvenience".Police later verified that the information was false. Based on a complaint filed by constable Sanjay Gujar at Georai police station, the police registered a case against Jadhav under BNS section 212, for furnishing false information to mislead public servants.Police said the matter escalated when Jadhav again called staff at the Madalmohi police outpost and issued threats, questioning how they could continue in service after booking a case against him. Police then registered a non-cognisable offence under BNS section 224 for criminal intimidation.Jadhav was produced before the special executive magistrate and additional superintendent of police, Beed, for preventive action. After the magistrate approved his remand under preventive provisions until Feb 9, he was sent to Beed district jail.