A viral post is being shared on social media which claims that police have started a 'free travel scheme' for women between 10 pm and 6 am. It stated two numbers - 1091 and 7837018555 as the helpline. Below is the full message.
The Police have launched a free travel scheme where any woman who is alone and cannot find a vehicle to go home between 10 pm and 6 am can contact the police helpline numbers (1991 and 2837018555) and request a vehicle. They will work 24x7 hours. The control room vehicle or the nearest PCR vehicle/SHO vehicle will take her safely to her destination. This will be done free of cost. Spread this message to everyone you know. Send the number to your wife, daughters, sisters, mothers, friends and all the women you know. Ask them to save it. All men please share with all the women you know. In case of emergency, women can give blank messages or missed calls. So that police can find your location and help you. Applicable All Over India.
(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)
We received a query about this claim on our WhatsApp tipline number as well.
Is this true?: No, this claim is misleading. There is no such country-wide scheme for women.
Bengaluru and Hyderabad police have both dismissed this claim.
The number in the viral message was shared by Ludhiana police, who had started a similar service in 2019. This service is still active in the city.
1091 is the number to help women in distress provided through the National Commission for Women (NCW).
What we found: With a simple keyword search, we came across two posts by Hyderabad police and Bengaluru police in which they dismissed this claim.
Similarly, the Bengaluru police also stated, "ALERT!! The message circulating about free travel for women from 10 PM to 6 AM is FAKE. Please rely only on official sources. In any emergency, dial #Namma112 for immediate help."
The keyword search results also showed us a story by the Hindustan Times from 2019. It noted that the Ludhiana police introduced a free night pick-up and drop service for women. There were two helpline numbers, 1091 and 7837018555, specifically available around the clock for women in need of assistance.
The two numbers stated in the news report were the same as the viral claim.
1091 helpline is a national number provided by the Central Social Welfare Board through the NCW. Its purpose is to help women facing difficulties and continues to operate throughout India.
Sources in the Ludhiana police told The Quint that the service was still active and the number for the helpline was - 7837018555.
Conclusion: The viral claim is misleading as this is not a nation-wide service.
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