New Delhi: The widely recognised voice of Amitabh Bachchan that greeted millions of Indian callers with cybercrime warnings has officially gone silent. The government-backed robocall campaign, launched to raise awareness about digital arrest scams, was discontinued on 25 June, according to reports.
Spearheaded by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the campaign was initiated shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged the rising threat of digital scams during his Mann Ki Baat broadcast in October 2024.
The robocall campaign, featuring Bachchan’s signature baritone, urged citizens to dial 1930, the national helpline for cybercrime victims, especially those targeted by impersonation-based scams.
The campaign initially ran for 90 days with a standard voiceover and was later extended by 60 days with Bachchan lending his voice. Telecom operators aired the messages seven to eight times daily, including versions in regional languages, reaching vast sections of the population.
However, despite its high recall value, the initiative faced operational concerns. It was reported that the initiative attracted some negative feedback, particularly over delays in connecting emergency calls due to repeated robocall interruptions.
So this issue, among other considerations, led to the decision not to renew the campaign further.
The conclusion of the campaign marks the end of one of the most prominent public awareness drives in the digital safety space.
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