Tech glitch: Youth receives calls from famous cricketers after SIM mix-up

Time of India

15 hours ago

Raipur: A technical glitch resulted in international cricketer
Rajat Patidar
's mobile number being allotted to a youth in the Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh. The incident came to light when Manish Bisi, 21, a resident of Madagaon village, started receiving calls from cricketers like Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, and AB de Villiers.
The number, which was inactive for nearly six months, was re-allotted to Manish in a routine process, said Gariaband superintendent of police Nikhil Rakhecha. "It was a WhatsApp number and probably not in use for the last six months. As per company rules, a number that remains unused for over six months is allotted to other customers, which might have led to the allotment of the number to the Devbhog youth. We have now returned the number to cricketer Rajat Patidar," the SP said.
Manish, a self-proclaimed fan of Virat Kohli and cricket, bought the new SIM card from a mobile shop in Devbhog in the last week of June.
Manish's friend, Khemraj Bisi, helped him install WhatsApp on the new number a week later. The profile picture automatically displayed a photo of Rajat Patidar, which the youths initially dismissed as a software glitch.
Soon, Manish and his friend began receiving calls from unknown numbers, with callers introducing themselves as various cricketers, including Kohli and AB de Villiers.
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The callers, who were attempting to reach Rajat Patidar, addressed the youths by his name. Thinking it was a prank, the two youths continued to speak to the cricketers in a lighthearted manner for about 15 days.
The matter escalated when Rajat Patidar, who was unable to use his old number, contacted the Madhya Pradesh Cyber Cell. The MP police then reached out to Gariaband police to resolve the issue.
A police team subsequently visited the village and asked Manish to return the SIM card.
The SIM has since been sent to Rajat Patidar's address.
The youths, who are avid cricket fans, expressed hope that Rajat Patidar would meet them in person someday, calling the incident an unforgettable experience. The Devbhog SHO said that the SIM card has been sent by post.
Cricketer Patidar plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket and captains Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Khemraj told TOI that when Virat Kohli called the number, Manish, who is shy in nature and not comfortable communicating, handed the phone to him.
"I spoke to Kohli Sir and thought it was a prank call — I couldn't believe it. Then we received a second call immediately. The calls came after the number was activated, about 15 days after we purchased the SIM card at the end of June. Ten to fifteen minutes after Kohli Sir's call, we received a call from S.
Dayal. About an hour later, we got a call from AB de Villiers, who spoke in English, which we couldn't understand. The call lasted just two to four seconds before he hung up.
We are both fans of Kohli Sir and want to meet him at least once. Our villagers are also keen to meet Kohli Sir," Khemraj said.
"The Devbhog police came to us and asked for the SIM card back, saying it belonged to a VIP. We returned it to them," Khemraj added.
One day, a call was received from another number. The caller identified himself as Rajat Patidar. "We took this call as a joke, just like we did with the earlier ones. Rajat kept requesting the SIM back, but we continued to make fun of him. Then Rajat said, 'I'll send the police,' and about 10 minutes later, the police arrived," Khemraj said.
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