Helpline number ‘7837018555’ linked to Ludhiana police's free ride service for women, not Telangana or Andhra Pradesh

A message circulating on social media claims that the Telangana police have introduced a free travel scheme for women travelling alone between 10 PM and 6 AM. According to the message, women unable to find transportation home can contact the police helpline at 1091 or 7837018555, and the nearest PCR or SHO vehicle will be dispatched to safely take them to their destination. A similar message is also being circulated in the name of Andhra Pradesh police.

Rachckonda police and SHE Team confirmed to NewsMeter that the number does not belong to Telangana police. When we inquired about whether a free ride service is being provided to women in Telangana, they confirmed that no such service currently exists. Similarly, the Andhra Pradesh police also do not offer any such service at this time.

Rachckonda police also took to Twitter to clarify that the number 78370 18555 is not related to the Telangana Police. It asked people to not believe in rumours and to contact 100 in case of any emergency.

The official X handle of Hyderabad City police also clarified that no "free ride service" is being offered. The handle called the viral message misleading and asked people to verify facts with trusted sources before sharing.

When searching for ‘Helpline number 7837018555’, we came across a report by Hindustan Times published on December 1, 2019, stating Ludhiana Police have introduced a ‘free ride’ facility for women. If a woman is alone and unable to find transportation between 10 PM and 6 AM, she can call the police helpline numbers ‘112’, ‘1091’, or ‘7837018555’ to request assistance.

We found that the official Punjab police handle had tweeted the number in response to users requesting assistance. However, our sources confirm that the Punjab police are currently not offering this service.

We also came across a tweet by Nagpur police stating that they are providing a “HOME-DROP” facility for women who are alone/stranded, with no means to go home at night when contacted on ‘Dial 100’ or ‘1091’ or ‘07122561103’.