Sirens Blared On Mobiles At 3:55pm. Hack Or Heat Alert? A sudden, shrill alert on mobile phones across Nagpur and surrounding Vidarbha districts at 3:55pm on Tuesday afternoon sparked widespread confusion. Thousands of devices rang simultaneously, accompanied by an emergency soundtrack, leading many to fear a cyberattack or digital fraud. Citizens in Nagpur, Bhandara, and other areas initially speculated that their phones had been hacked, with some even questioning whether clicking the "OK" prompt could compromise their data. The alert, however, was later revealed to be a severe heatwave warning issued by the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as part of a trial for cell broadcast technology. The alert, which caused smartphones to vibrate and ring continuously, was designed to warn residents about an impending heatwave in Amravati, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur, and Wardha. The message, displayed in Marathi, was intended to raise awareness of the extreme weather conditions, which had already pushed temperatures in the region above 45 degrees Celsius for several days. Despite the urgency of the warning, the unfamiliar format of the alert led to panic. Lawyer Ranjan Deshpande, who was in his Laxmi Nagar apartment during the incident, described the experience as "scary," noting that his phones rang non-stop and he feared a virus. Similarly, geology professor Samaya Humane and her husband Sumedh, traveling from Lakhandur to Nagpur, were initially convinced their devices had been compromised. The confusion persisted for nearly an hour, with social media discussions helping clarify the situation.#national_disaster_management_authority #state_disaster_management_authority #ranjan_deshpande #samaya_humane #sumedh
