Ankola: Man takes cops for a ride with hoax call claiming ‘double murder’

A person placed a call to 112 claiming that his wife and daughter had been murdered and asked the police to rush to the scene as he feared for his safety.

Manjunath Bommayya Naik, a resident of Hillur, Bilanbailu had made the call for police help.

Immediately an order was issued over the wireless to the police at Ankola to rush to the scene and investigate the matter. Accordingly, PSI Uddappa Dhareppa and ASI Lalita Rajput, along with Constable Praveen Poojari, rushed 37 kilometers from Taluk Center to Hillur and reached the scene within 25 minutes.

However despite a thorough search they were unable to trace the bodies around Manjunath’s house. Manjunath stood as a spectator watching the police for nearly 15 minutes and then mockingly asked the police if they found the bodies. The police were left in a state of disbelief when he further said that he did not find his wife and daughter at home and thus called the police as a precautionary measure fearing their safety.

Realising that this was a hoax call, the police personnel expressed their outrage by caning Manjunath.

Villagers who had gathered at the spot upon hearing news of the murder told police that Manjunath was mentally unstable. Fed by him, his wife and daughter had left home and were living elsewhere. Reportedly Manjunath had in the past too made a false call to the cops.

Upon coming to know of his mental health, police returned to the station.