Duty above all: ‘There’s no chutney in my Vada pav!’ The strangest calls Mumbai Police get and how they handle them all

The Mumbai Police receive numerous unusual and often hilarious calls every day from citizens Complaints range from a vada pav vendor not adding chutney to dogs barking and disturbing peoplersquos sleep to a stolen carcleaning cloth Despite the trivial nature of some issues officers respond to every call with seriousness and professionalismldquoDuty comes first for us and every call is importantrdquo a police officer told midday Mumbaikars frequently dial helpline numbers such as 100 103 112 and 1930 cyber helpline for assistance While many complain that police sometimes arrive late officers say they juggle multiple emergencies at once but still respond as quickly as possibleFunny calls receivedldquoThe vada pav vendor didnrsquot put chutney inside the vada pav Customer frustrated needs police helprdquo mdash Call received by Kalachowkie police two weeks agoPolice take part in rehearsals for Maharashtra Day parade at Shivaji Park earlier this year File picShadab KhanldquoMy carcleaning cloth which was drying on a rope has been stolen Please help me find itrdquo mdash Call received by Bhoiwada police last monthldquoA tea vendor is serving tea in a plastic cup instead of a glass one Need police interventionrdquo mdash Call received by Kalachowkie policeldquoMy clothes fell from the fourth floor and got stuck between the third and fourth floors Please help retrieve itrdquo mdash Call received by Malad police a few months agoldquoDogs are barking loudly in our area We canrsquot sleep Please take actionrdquo mdash Call received by Oshiwara police AndherildquoSomeone threw garbage in front of our building Please help catch the culpritrdquo mdash Call received by Andheri policeWhen funny becomes dutyA police officer from Kalachowkie said ldquoWe receive such calls every day Most are funny but we still respond and resolve them Recently we got a call about a vada pav vendor not adding chutney We went to the spot sorted out the issue and warned the vendor to serve properly since customers pay for itrdquoAn officer from Bhoiwada police recalled ldquoOne caller reported that his carcleaning cloth was stolen We checked CCTV footage identified the man who took it and recovered the cloth We didnrsquot file a case but warned him not to repeat itrdquoAnother officer from Malad police added ldquoWe got a call about a cloth stuck between two floors It sounded funny but we treated it seriously Retrieving it was risky as our officers had to reach near the windowrdquoFrom left Screen grab of the lsquomissing chutneyrsquo complaint Screen grab of the lsquotea served in plastic cuprsquo complaint and Screen grab of the lsquocarcleaning cloth stolenrsquo complaint PicsBy Special ArrangementAn Oshiwara officer said ldquoPeople also complain about dogs barking late at night We coordinate with BMCrsquos animal control and NGOs to conduct sterilisation drives and reduce the issuerdquoBeyond the bizarreAnother officer said ldquoEvery call is important to us Even if it sounds trivial itrsquos serious to the person calling During fire incidents we help manage crowds move people to safety and assist fire and ambulance teams by creating green corridorsrdquoHe added ldquoWe also get calls about suspicious bags Even though we donrsquot have specialised equipment we reach the spot secure the area and inform the dog squad and bomb detection team immediatelyrdquoHealth emergencies ring inPolice officers also receive calls for medical helpldquoIrsquom unwell and suffering from vomiting and loose motion Please help me reach a doctorrdquo mdash Call received by the Khar police last monthldquoIrsquove run out of medicine My son and daughter are abroad Please help me get medicines from the pharmacyrdquo mdash Call received by Bandra policeldquoIn such cases we always helprdquo said an officer ldquoHealth emergencies are a priority Many women also call late at night when they feel unsafe We often drop them off at home in police vehiclesrdquoAnother officer added ldquoEach police station has four beats with four vehicles for control room calls Sometimes while resolving minor complaints we get multiple emergency calls Still we prioritise all and respond as quickly as possible Every call matters itrsquos our dutyrdquomidday tried to contact several DCPs for comment They directed queries to DCP Akbar Pathan Operations in charge of helpline numbers who asked to contact Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP IPS Rajtilak Roushan DCP Roushan did not respond to calls or messages