Young adult receives phone calls from cricket stars Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers
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In a bizarre turn of events, a 21-year-old resident of Madagaon village in Chhattisgarh, India, found himself in possession of a phone number previously belonging to Rajat Patidar, a cricketer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Within days of activating the SIM card, Manish Bisi began receiving calls from various prominent figures in the world of cricket, including Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Yash Dayal. The unusual calls, initially thought to be a glitch, soon became a whirlwind of confusion and viral intrigue in Chhattisgarh.
The reassignment of Patidar's number to Manish was a result of standard telecom policy regarding inactive numbers. Telecom regulations recycle mobile numbers that have been inactive for more than 90 days and reassign them to new users. This led to Manish unexpectedly finding himself with Rajat Patidar’s former number, displayed with Patidar's profile picture on WhatsApp.
The seriousness of the situation escalated to the point where Patidar mentioned involving police intervention to resolve the matter. The incident caused a series of notable events, including the new owner receiving numerous calls and messages meant for the celebrity, which can intrude on their privacy and daily life.
The celebrity potentially lost access to their contacts and communications until the issue was resolved. Confusion and misunderstandings amongst contacts trying to reach the celebrity, sometimes involving high-profile individuals, were also common. The need for intervention by the celebrity, mobile operator, or authorities to retrieve or deactivate the reassigned number and resolve the matter was necessary.
Gariaband Superintendent of Police, Nikhil Rakhecha, confirmed the number reallocation. Upon investigation, it was discovered that Patidar's old number had been reassigned to Manish Bisi. The number has since been returned to Rajat Patidar.
Manish and his friends engaged in casual chats with the callers, unaware of the full gravity of the situation. However, as the situation unfolded, Manish told The Times of India about the unusual situation, shedding light on the challenges that arise from number recycling policies in telecom, especially when the previous owner is a public figure with a wide network and public recognition.
Manish Bisi, the new owner of the reallocated number, found himself receiving calls and messages related to sports news and career advice from cricketers like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Yash Dayal. The sport-related communications stirred up further curiosity in the already intriguing sequence of events, highlighting the potential consequences of number recycling in the era of high-profile celebrities.
