21-year-old Chhattisgarh boy gets Rajat Patidar’s number; gets call from Virat Kohli and de Villiers
Gariaband (Chhattisgarh), Aug 10 (PTI): A man in nondescript Madagaon village in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district is in rpt in seventh heaven after receiving calls from cricket legends Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, all thanks to a SIM card once used by India cricketer Rajat Patidar coming alive some time after it was reactivated by the service provider.
Manish Bisi, and his friend Khemraj, at first thought these were prank calls, thanks to the sheer improbability of the chain of events, but reality dawned when Patidar himself was at the other end.
The tryst with instant fame began on June 28 when Manish, son of farmer Gajendra Bisi, purchased a new Jio SIM from a mobile shop in Deobhog, around 8 kilometres from his village.
When Khemraj helped set up WhatsApp on the new SIM, the display picture was of Patidar, a rising star who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team in the IPL 2025 season.
While the duo initially dismissed it as a glitch, they were soon stunned by calls from Kohli, de Villiers and Yash Dayal, though the two veered towards being realistic by believing these were all part of some elaborate prank being played by friends.
In fact, the duo even played along, Khemraj claimed.
The story turned on its head when, on July 15, Patidar himself called up with a fervent "brother, please return my SIM". Manish and Khemraj still believed it was a prank before realising the seriousness in Patidar's tone when he spoke about sending police to solve the matter.
A police team arrived some minutes later, putting a lid on any assumptions that it was a prank.
Gariaband Deputy Superintendent of Police Neha Sinha said the SIM had been deactivated as per telecom policy after 90 days of inactivity and was reassigned to a new customer, which in this case happened to be Manish.
"Manish was actually getting calls from cricketers who were in contact with Rajat Patidar. Patidar informed the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell that his number had been allotted to someone else and requested to have it back," she said.
The MP Cyber Cell contacted Gariaband police, who spoke with Manish and his family and with their consent, the SIM was recently returned to Patidar, the Deputy SP informed.
"There was no legal issue or fault on anyone's part. This was simply a result of standard telecom procedures," Sinha added.
For Manish, Khemraj, and their families, meanwhile, the experience has been like "something out of a film".
Khemraj, an ardent Kohli fan, excitedly said, "I never imagined I would speak to Virat Kohli one day, and that too from our village. When AB de Villiers called, he spoke in English. We couldn't understand a word, but we were so thrilled."
"When Manish used to get calls, he would hand over the phone to me. The callers who identified themselves as Virat Kohli and Yash Dayal asked us why we were using Patidar's number. We explained to them we had bought a new SIM and this is our number," Khemraj added.
The villagers are overjoyed because most people here are RCB fans and talking to legends like Kohli and de Villiers is something that cannot be described and even now seems like a dream, said Manish's brother Deshbandhu Bisi.
"Even if it was all due to a mix-up, these conversations happened out of sheer luck. People just dream of seeing them, we got to speak to them," Deshbandhu gushed.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
