Bagalkot: With the objective of providing quicker response to people in need during emergency situations in the district, Bagalkot District Police has launched an emergency helpline service on telephone number 112.

Having launched on a pilot basis in the district along with Davangere and Haveri districts in the State, the new helpline has been created on the lines of 911 emergency service number of the USA.

“The new helpline number is different from the traditional 100 number given to the police for attending emergency situations. This new 112 number will have a centralized system where not only police but even medical or fire and emergency services will also attend to the persons based on the situation and need”, said Lokesh Jagalasar, Superintendent of Police.

He said that in three districts, including Bagalkot, the helpline number has been launched in a full scale by deploying separate staff and vehicles.

“In Bagalkot, we have reserved 15 vehicles and deployed 120 personnel for the job who will be working round-the-clock to attend the emergency calls received in the district”, he said.

Jagalasar said that if any person dials 100 number within Bagalkot limits, then that call gets automatically routed to 112, from where the call is placed to required departments such as police or fire, etc.

“The uniqueness of the service is when the call is received, it automatically records the location. Based on it, it is possible for the staff to reach the place easily and within a limited time”, he said.

He said that the service has been launched just a few days ago in the district and is receiving a good response already.

Jagalasar said that though no time limit so far has been set for the police staff to reach the place as the service is in the initial stage, however, he said that in the coming days, more resources will be added to ensure that the staff reaches the victim within the stipulated time itself.

“ We are still in an initial stage thus we are not in a position to fix the time limit, however, we have directed the police to be there at the spot as quickly as possible after receiving the call. In the coming days, we may fix time so that the vehicle should be there at the spot within that time only. This will give a sense of confidence to the victim that the help will be there at a particular time. We want to make sure that the least time is taken to reach the victim”, he said.

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Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.

The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.

Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.

The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.

Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.

The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.