Kerala court orders probe after man claims his mobile number was shown in film

A Kerala court recently ordered the police to conduct a preliminary enquiry into a man's complaint that his personal mobile number was shown on the Malayalam film 'Officer on Duty' without permission, leading to unwanted calls and harassment. .Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Devika Lal on May 29 sought a report on the issue from the police under Section 175 (3) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.The police have been directed to place their findings before the court by June 11, 2026.The complainant has alleged that the unauthorised use of his mobile number amounts to offences under the Information Technology Act, 2000, including under Section 66C (identity theft), Section 66D (cheating by personation using computer resources), as well as the provisions of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Board) Rules, 2021.Those named in the complaint include the producer of Officer on Duty, Martin Prakkat, co-producers Sibi Chavara and Renjith Nair, Netflix, Zee Entertainment, Meta, and WhatsApp, among others. .The complaint was filed by an IT professional residing in Ernakulam. He has alleged that his active personal mobile number was displayed in a scene of the film without his knowledge or consent.He claimed that after the Kunchako Boban-starrer film's theatrical release and its subsequent streaming on Netflix, he began receiving a large number of unsolicited calls and messages, causing severe inconvenience and distress.According to the complainant, his number was shown during a climatic sequence in the film as the contact number of a character portrayed as a doctor.He stated that the number had been in his exclusive use for several years and was linked to his bank accounts, Aadhaar, PAN, professional communications and other essential services.He further claimed that after the film began streaming on Netflix in March 2025, he received calls and messages from various parts of India and abroad."The nature of these calls and messages is not merely offensive but is characterised by sadistic, sexually explicit, and, at times, outright terroristic content. As a direct result, the Petitioner has been left in a state of perpetual fear, anxiety, and psychological distress. These communications occur at all hours of the day and night, frequently disturbing the Petitioner's sleep and depriving him of peace and security in his daily life," the complaint stated.Despite filing complaints before the Cyber cell and representations before the films producers, no effective action was taken, compelling him to approach the court seeking directions for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and a police investigation..The complaint was filed through advocates Sukesh Roy, Meera Menon and Divya AR.