'Speak Kannada': Police mistake foreigner's call during burglary for prank

A Spanish national's emergency call for help went ignored by police due to language barrier in burglary incident in Bengaluru

A Spanish national, Jesus Abrielle, faced a harrowing ordeal when two intruders broke into his ground-floor flat in the Nydus apartment complex on Langford Road in Richmond Town of Bengaluru. Shockingly, the police dismissed the calls, mistaking them for a prank, The Times of India reported on Saturday. Here’s what happened.

 

Items worth Rs 82,000 stolen

At around 2 am on Wednesday, the burglars entered Abrielle’s home through a louver window in the bathroom and made off with valuables, including a laptop, a platinum ring, headphones, Rs 10,000 in cash, and various identification and debit cards. Additional cash and high-value clothing kept in the flat were not stolen.

 

 

The apartment's security guard was unaware of the burglary, as the flat is located at a secluded end of the complex. Ongoing construction noise may have masked the intruders' activity. Police are reviewing CCTV footage from nearby buildings to identify the culprits, with suspicions pointing towards labourers involved in local construction work, the report said.

 

Emergency call dismissed over language barrier

The incident left Abrielle confined to his bedroom for nearly six hours, while trying to call the local police.

 

In a desperate attempt to seek help, Abrielle dialled the emergency number 112 but was unable to communicate effectively due to language barriers. 

  The helpline operator reportedly asked him to speak in Kannada before disconnecting the call, mistaking the broken English and Spanish for a prank.

 

Landlord reports incident

Abrielle, traumatised by the event, did not alert anyone until 8:30 am when he informed his landlord, Sudeep. The landlord rushed to the scene and reported the incident to the police. A case has been filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for theft and house trespass.

 

Prank call vs emergencies

A senior police officer explained that the emergency helpline receives numerous prank calls daily, which may have led to the mishandling of Abrielle's call. However, protocol requires operators to follow up on calls to ensure genuine emergencies are not overlooked.