Mumbai Police’s Friendship Day message highlights 4 helplines

Mumbai Police’s Friendship Day message on Sunday, August 2, 2026, described the department as ‘that one friend who’s just a call away,’ highlighting four essential emergency helpline numbers.

The post read, ‘That one friend who’s just a call away. Always there for you. Always ready to help,’ shared in English and Marathi with friendship-themed graphics.

The four numbers highlighted were 112, the all-in-one national emergency response helpline; 1930, for cybercrime and financial fraud; 103, the women’s safety helpline; and 1915, the senior citizens’ helpline.

Friendship Day, marked on the first Sunday of August, celebrates the bond of friendship, a theme Mumbai Police used to present its emergency services as a dependable ‘friend’ during a crisis.

The department regularly links civic awareness messaging with festive occasions on social media, a strategy that has often struck a chord with users.

The post received an appreciative response online, with several users praising the department’s creative reminder of important helpline numbers.

Friendship Day traces its origins to a 1958 proposal in Paraguay, and while it is not a public holiday in India, it is widely observed through gift exchanges, gatherings and social media messages among friends.

Mumbai Police’s official social media handles have built a large following over the years, partly due to their consistent use of humour, pop culture references and timely public safety reminders.

Mumbai Police has a long history of using festive occasions and pop-culture references to spread civic awareness messages, a social media approach that has repeatedly gone viral over the years.

The 1930 cybercrime helpline connects callers directly to India’s National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal network, allowing victims of financial fraud to report incidents and potentially freeze fraudulent transactions quickly.

The 112 number consolidates India’s earlier separate emergency lines for police, fire and ambulance services into a single all-in-one helpline, part of a nationwide Emergency Response Support System.

Photo by Nichalp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0