A female officer at the Election Commission (EC) was alarmed by a mentally disturbed individual repeatedly calling the 1444 hotline, inviting her to engage in sex phone conversations and sending explicit images, causing annoyance throughout the day.
At 3:30 p.m. on 8 February 2026, at the Election Commission office, it was reported that staff members at the EC's 1444 hotline, especially female officers, felt alarmed when a group of disturbed callers repeatedly harassed them. The callers provoked arguments, played sex phone sounds loudly, and sent explicit and pornographic images via the EC's page inbox. This created ongoing disturbances for female complaint-handling officers throughout the day.
A female officer revealed that most of these callers exhibited inappropriate behavior specifically toward female staff answering calls or handling online complaints. Some callers made drunken-like moaning noises. However, if a male officer answered the call or handled the online complaint, the callers would immediately hang up. These behaviors significantly impacted the hotline’s ability to receive legitimate complaints from the public about election and referendum issues.