Vinobha K T/ENS

Mangalore, Jan 31: When Shruti begun receiving unsolicited - and often sexually loaded - calls on her cell phone, she was shocked and shattered.

The puzzle on how complete strangers from remote places had access to her mobile phone number was solved when the family, following a tip off, found the number flashing on a geographical information website.

Log on to www.wikimapia.org and search for K N Shetty Girls Hostel in Mangalore. The description reads: “Hot bikini dressed girls stay here.” A disappointed visitor has left a rejoinder: “Bull…I have not seen even one girl here.” Type the keywords ‘Lala’s Den’ and the message appearing on the screen reads:

“The computer planet of NITK dealing in porn and software for Windows and Linux free computer consultancy.”

Another place guides netizens to where ‘Subashini stayed with her friend.’ A place near Mangalore is marked with a title: ‘Sexy nurse near Bantwal’, and a comment solicits lesbians as friends.

Search with words ‘Josleo’s Shop’ and a message pops; “One eyed uncle with sexy daughter, sells anything from Kings to houses and on credit, which students run off with...”

Shruthi’s many attempts to get the mobile number erased from the website went in vain. She had to change her number. She suspects a jealous classmate put her number up on the site.

Wikimapia Wikimapia is an online resource that combines Google Maps with a wiki system, allowing users to add information (in the form of a note) to any location on earth.

It was created by Alexandre Koriakine and Evgeniy Saveliev, and was launched on May 24, 2006 with the aim of “describing the whole planet Earth”.

One of the top 1000 websites visited, and has over 6 million places marked.