Ludhiana’s free ride scheme’s helpline number for the safety of women is viral as an initiative by the Sikkim police. 

The safety of women in our country has always been on priority. With many recent incidents of crime against women, the government has taken many measures to ensure their safety.

Against this backdrop, a post is going viral on social media claiming that the Sikkim Police has taken an initiative called the ‘Free travel Scheme’ for women. It further says that if there is no vehicle available for women to go home then they can call the Police helpline number 1091 or 7837018555 and ask for a vehicle. The nearest PCR or SHO vehicle will reach the caller and drop her at home. This scheme is available for women at free of cost.

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading. This is an old post that keeps resurfacing on social media from time to time. The contact details given in the post and the scheme was an initiative of Ludhiana police and limited to their jurisdiction.

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We found the same claim saying Maharashtra Police launched a free ride scheme for women viral on social media in 2019, 2020 and in 2023 as well.

Fact Check-

A keyword search on Google led us to the Hindustan Times report published on 1 December 2019. According to the report, the Ludhiana police have launched a free night pickup and drop facility in the city for the safety of women. Ludhiana police have 28 SHO vehicles, 110 PC motorcycles, and 10 vans. According to the Commissioner of Police, this facility is available for any woman who failed to get a transport vehicle to return home between 10 pm to 6 am. This initiative was taken after a gang rape incident in Hyderabad.

Further, when Fact Crescendo contacted Rakesh Agarwal, the then Police Commissioner of Ludhiana, he said that women should contact the helpline number 1091 or 7837018555 if there is no arrangement to go home late at night. The women will be taken home safely in a police vehicle.

The same message went viral in Bangalore four years ago. The Bangalore City Police then refuted the viral claims on its official Facebook account and said that strict action would be taken against those spreading such messages.

When we searched the number on Google, we found a tweet by the Mumbai police. In the tweet, Mumbai police clarified that the mentioned mobile number in the post is operational in Ludhiana city, Punjab.

The Mentioned Mobile number operational in Ludhiana City, Punjab Police Women Helpline Number. In an emergency, you can Dial Women Helpline Number 103 or 100 or Tweet us for prompt support.

— मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 5, 2019

Conclusion:

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading. The contact number provided in the viral post belongs to Ludhiana police in Punjab. The free ride scheme was launched by Ludhiana police for the safety of women after the Hyderabad rape incident.