Manali Police Station
Mall Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh,Manali, Himachal Pradesh– 175131
Location & Address
- Full Address
- Mall Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh
- City
- Manali
- District
- Kullu
- State
- Himachal Pradesh
- PIN Code
- 175131
- GPS Coordinates
- 32.23960, 77.18870
Location Map
32.2396, 77.1887Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Marker positions are approximate — confirm by phone before travelling.
Contact Information
Primary Phone
01902-252340
About Police Stations in Manali
Police stations in Manali operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They handle emergency response, FIR registration, NC reports, lost property, and more.
Data Source
Information sourced from: Himachal Pradesh Police
Data confidence: medium. Last verified: Date not recorded.
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About Manali Police Station
Manali Police Station is a local police station serving the Mall Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh area of Manali in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh. It falls within PIN code 175131. Like every police station in India it operates twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, including public holidays.
Command of Manali Police Station rests with a Station House Officer — an Inspector in a built-up area like Manali, or a Sub-Inspector in a smaller posting. Both ranks can register an FIR, so you do not need to wait for a particular officer to be on duty before a cognizable offence is recorded.
The caseload at Manali Police Station reflects its surroundings in Kullu — a steady mix of theft and property complaints, road-traffic matters, lost-document reports and routine address verification.
The listed landline for Manali Police Station is 01902-252340. Use it for non-urgent enquiries — to confirm the station is handling your matter, to ask which documents to bring, or to check whether a particular officer is on duty. Station landlines are not staffed the way an emergency line is, so for anything urgent dial 100 or 112 instead, which routes you to a control room that can dispatch the nearest available unit.
Every service described below is provided free of charge. No officer at Manali Police Station or anywhere else is entitled to charge you a fee for registering a complaint, recording a lost-property report, issuing your copy of an FIR or NC, or carrying out address verification.
Services Available at Manali Police Station
A police station handles a far wider range of everyday civic work than most people expect. These are the services Manali Police Station provides to residents of Manali and the surrounding Kullu area.
Registering an FIR
For any cognizable offence — theft, burglary, assault, fraud, criminal intimidation — Manali Police Station must register a First Information Report under Section 173 BNSS. You are entitled to a free copy before you leave.
Filing an NC
Non-cognizable matters and lost property are recorded as an NC entry. This is what residents of Manali most often need when a phone, wallet, passport or set of vehicle documents goes missing.
Women's helpdesk
Manali Police Station is required to run a women's helpdesk, and a statement about a sexual offence must be recorded by a woman officer — at a place of the survivor's choosing, including her own home.
Passport & address verification
Passport applications from PIN 175131 are routed here for verification. The beat constable will visit your address, so keep photo ID, a utility bill and any rental agreement ready.
Tenant & staff verification
Landlords in Manali can submit tenant verification here, as can households engaging drivers, domestic workers or security staff. The service is free.
Cybercrime complaints
Online fraud can be reported at Manali Police Station regardless of where the offender is located. Call 1930 first — the freeze window on transferred funds is measured in minutes, not days.
Lost & found reports
Lost documents and belongings are logged and a report issued. Banks, insurers, the RTO and the passport office all require this copy before issuing any duplicate.
Traffic & accident reports
Road accidents within the Kullu jurisdiction are recorded here. For an accident in progress call 112 first — the control room dispatches both police and ambulance.
Senior citizen assistance
Most state forces maintain a senior-citizen register and conduct welfare visits. Elderly residents living alone near Manali can ask to be added at the front desk.
Visiting Manali Police Station: What to Expect
Getting there. The station is located at Mall Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Use the map above for turn-by-turn directions — the Directions button opens your default maps application with the station already set as the destination.
When to go. Manali Police Station is open around the clock, but it is not equally busy around the clock. Mid-morning, roughly between ten and one, is the peak for walk-in complaints and verification queries. If your matter is not urgent, arriving early in the morning or in the late afternoon usually means a shorter wait and an officer with more time to hear you properly.
Who you will meet. Your first contact is the duty officer at the front desk. Explain your matter briefly and they will direct you — to the writer for a report, to the women's helpdesk, or to the SHO for something more serious. If you are unsure whom you need, always start at the front desk rather than wandering the building.
How long it takes. A straightforward lost-property NC generally takes fifteen to thirty minutes. An FIR takes longer, because the officer must record your statement in full and read it back to you. Verification paperwork is usually submitted in a few minutes, with the actual field visit following days later.
Language. You are entitled to have your statement recorded in a language you understand, and to have it read back to you before you sign. Never sign a statement you have not understood, and never sign a blank sheet.
What to carry with you
- A government photo ID — Aadhaar, driving licence, voter card or passport
- Any documents relating to your matter: bills, receipts, agreements, prescriptions
- Photographs or screenshots, with the originals kept on your device
- Names and phone numbers of any witnesses
- A written summary of what happened, with dates and times, so nothing is forgotten
- A pen — and a second copy of anything you are handing over
NC or FIR — Which One Applies to My Complaint?
NC stands for Non-Cognizable, and it is the most misunderstood term people meet at a police station. An NC is a formal register entry recording that you reported something — for an offence where police cannot investigate or arrest without a magistrate's permission.
The distinction turns on the seriousness of the offence, not on how upset you are. Minor assault without injury, public nuisance, defamation, simple trespass and most neighbour disputes are non-cognizable. Because the power to arrest is a serious intrusion, the law reserves it for graver crimes.
In practice most NCs filed in Manali are not disputes at all — they are lost property. The copy you receive is what your insurer, bank, the RTO or the passport office will demand before issuing a duplicate. Our lost and found guide covers what to do for each document type.
If a station says your matter is “only an NC” but you believe a cognizable offence occurred, say so politely and ask for the refusal in writing. You can then escalate to the Superintendent of Police, or apply to a magistrate under Section 175(3) BNSS.
Commonly filed as an NC in Manali
- Misplaced government ration or pension documents
- A lost mobile phone, wallet or handbag
- A lost cheque book or bank passbook
- Lost academic certificates or mark sheets
- A minor boundary or parking dispute with a neighbour
| Aspect | FIR (Cognizable) | NC (Non-Cognizable) |
|---|---|---|
| Free copy for you | Yes — legally guaranteed | Yes — always ask for it |
| Goes to court as | Chargesheet or closure report | Only if a magistrate orders inquiry |
| Court permission needed | No | Yes |
| Can police refuse? | No, for a cognizable offence | They must still record the entry |
| Investigation starts | Immediately | Only after a magistrate's order |
| Arrest without warrant | Permitted | Not permitted |
What Is an FIR and How Do I Register One at Manali Police Station?
An FIR — First Information Report — is the document that sets the criminal justice system in motion. It is recorded under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, which replaced Section 154 of the old Code of Criminal Procedure. Until an FIR exists the police have no legal basis to investigate, arrest, or seize evidence.
An FIR can only be registered for a cognizable offence — one serious enough that police may arrest without a magistrate's warrant. Theft, burglary, assault causing hurt, kidnapping, rioting and murder all qualify. For anything less serious a station such as Manali Police Station records a Non-Cognizable entry instead.
You need no lawyer, no stamp paper, no written application and no fee. Walk in, tell the duty officer what happened, and they must write it down, read it back to you in a language you understand, and take your signature or thumb impression.
The one thing never to skip is your free copy. Section 173(2) BNSS entitles every informant to a copy at no cost — anyone asking you to pay is acting unlawfully. Note the FIR number, the date and the recording officer's name; you will need all three for insurance, for court, and for every follow-up. If a station refuses outright, our complaint guide sets out the escalation route to the SP and then to a magistrate.
Is there a deadline?
No time limit applies to a serious offence, though a long unexplained delay may be raised by the defence at trial. Report promptly.
Language rights
Your statement must be recorded in a language you understand and read back before you sign. Ask for this — it is not optional.
What to avoid
Do not guess at facts you are unsure of, never sign a blank page, and never sign a statement that has not been read back to you.
What to state
Date, time and exact place, what was done and by whom, the value of anything lost, and any injury caused.
What Should I Do in the First Hour After Being Scammed?
Cyber fraud is the fastest-growing category of crime reported in Manali, and the one where speed matters most. Money leaving your account passes through mule accounts within minutes. Once withdrawn as cash or converted to crypto, recovery is close to impossible.
That is why 1930 exists. Run under the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, it plugs into the system that can send a freeze instruction to the receiving bank in near real time. That window is the golden hour.
Call 1930 first — before your bank, before posting about it, before going to a station. Have the transaction ID, amount, time and your account number ready. Follow with a written complaint at cybercrime.gov.in, which returns a trackable acknowledgement number.
You may also report at any station including Manali Police Station. None may refuse for want of a cyber cell or because the offender is in another state — the loss occurred where you are. Our cybercrime reporting guide walks through the evidence to preserve.
SIM swap
Your number is ported without consent so OTPs reach the attacker. Sudden loss of signal is the warning sign.
Fake customer care
Search-engine results leading to spoofed helpline numbers that talk you into screen-sharing.
Job and task scams
Small payments for 'tasks' that build trust before a large deposit is demanded and vanishes.
Sextortion
Threats to publish intimate images. Report it — the law protects you and your identity is not disclosed.
Do I Have to Go to the Station Nearest the Crime?
Every police station in Manali is assigned a defined geographical area — its jurisdiction. As a rule the station covering the place where the incident happened is the one that investigates, not the station nearest your home.
This trips people up constantly. A bag stolen on a train belongs to the Government Railway Police for that section of track. A car broken into in a mall car park belongs to the station covering the mall, even if you live thirty kilometres away. Online fraud follows where the loss occurred — generally wherever you are in Manali.
Zero FIR removes the burden of working this out. Introduced after the Justice Verma Committee, it lets you register an FIR at any station regardless of jurisdiction. The station numbers it zero, records the complaint in full, takes urgent action such as a medical examination, then transfers the file onward.
A station refusing a Zero FIR is not exercising discretion — it is committing an offence under Section 199 BNS, and for sexual offences that carries up to two years. The practical takeaway: in an emergency go to whichever station you can reach fastest. Sorting out jurisdiction is the police's job, not yours.
What Protections Do Women and Children Have in Manali?
Indian law gives women and children procedural protections that go well beyond ordinary practice, and every station — Manali Police Station included — must honour them. Knowing they exist is often the difference between a complaint being taken seriously and being talked out of the door.
For women
- A woman cannot be arrested between sunset and sunrise without a magistrate's written permission.
- Workplace harassment is covered by the POSH Act, 2013, which requires an Internal Committee at every employer.
- Zero FIR applies fully — any station must record the complaint regardless of jurisdiction.
- A statement about a sexual offence must be recorded by a woman officer, at a place of the survivor's choosing — including her home.
- Every station must run a Women's Helpdesk, staffed by a woman officer wherever posting strength allows.
For children
- Children in conflict with the law go before the Juvenile Justice Board, never a regular lock-up.
- Reporting a known or suspected sexual offence against a child is legally compulsory — silence is itself punishable.
- CHILDLINE 1098 operates round the clock and will physically reach a child in distress.
- A child's statement should be recorded at home or another place where the child feels safe.
- Offences against children are handled under POCSO, 2012, which mandates child-friendly procedure throughout.
Helplines: 1091 women's helpline, 181 domestic abuse, 1098 CHILDLINE, 112 any emergency. All free, all twenty-four hours, all working from a phone with no balance. See every emergency number explained.
Do I Need to Visit a Station for Passport Verification?
For the majority of residents in Manali, the only reason they ever deal with police is paperwork: the check underpinning passports, tenancies and job offers. Knowing how it runs in Manali will save you weeks. Our guide to contacting the police covers what to prepare for each type.
NOC for a new business
Certain trades — bars, cyber cafés, hotels, pawnbrokers — need a police no-objection certificate before licensing.
Passport verification
Triggered when you apply at a Passport Seva Kendra. The beat officer visits your address — keep Aadhaar, a utility bill and any rental agreement ready.
Event and protest permission
Public gatherings, processions and loudspeaker use need prior permission from the local station or DCP office.
Police Clearance Certificate
States you have no adverse record — required by most immigration authorities. Apply via Passport Seva, not the station directly.
Verification is a free government service. No officer may charge for visiting your address or issuing a report. If asked for money, report it to the state Anti-Corruption Bureau or Vigilance Commission — see our sources and methodology.
Which Desk Do I Need at Manali Police Station?
Behind the front counter a station splits into distinct functions, and going straight to the right one is the difference between twenty minutes and half a day.
The front desk is staffed continuously, including at night and on holidays. The duty officer there is your first contact for everything. If unsure whom to see, start here.
The writer or record room keeps the registers: FIR, NC, the general diary logging every event of the day, and the roznamcha recording officers' movements. Your free copy is produced here.
The malkhana is the secured store for seized and recovered property — where anything of yours sits until a court orders its release on superdari. The lock-up holds people in custody, never beyond twenty-four hours without a magistrate, never women overnight without a woman constable, and never a juvenile.
Most stations are busiest between ten and one. If your matter is not urgent, arriving early or late afternoon means a shorter wait — or skip the trip and check which station is actually closest to you first.
What Are My Rights at Manali Police Station?
Walking into a police station does not suspend your constitutional rights. Articles 20 and 21, reinforced by the Supreme Court in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997), protect every person in India — complainant, witness or arrested person alike, and whether you are at Manali Police Station or anywhere else.
On arrest the officer must state the grounds, wear visible identification of name and rank, and prepare an arrest memo attested by a family member or a respectable local person, recording the time and place. You may have one friend or relative informed.
You must be produced before a magistrate within twenty-four hours excluding travel. Custody beyond that needs judicial authorisation. You may meet a lawyer of your choice during interrogation, and receive a medical examination every forty-eight hours.
Women cannot be arrested before sunrise or after sunset without a magistrate's prior written permission, and any arrest or search of a woman must be by a woman officer — see our women's safety guide. Anyone under eighteen goes before the Juvenile Justice Board, never an ordinary lock-up.
As a complainant, Section 179 BNSS matters too: a woman, anyone under fifteen or over sixty, and anyone with a disability or acute illness cannot be compelled to attend a station outside their district. In those cases the police must come to you.
What Should I Avoid Doing at a Police Station?
Signing something you have not read
Never sign a blank sheet or a statement not read back to you in a language you understand. You are entitled to both.
Deleting the evidence
Screenshots, chat logs, call records and emails are evidence. Embarrassment is not a reason to destroy your own case.
Believing the 24-hour myth
There is no waiting period before reporting a missing person. Any station saying otherwise is wrong, and for a child it is seriously wrong.
Accepting a verbal refusal
If a station refuses a cognizable offence, ask in writing, then escalate to the SP or a magistrate under Sec. 175(3) BNSS.
Going to the wrong station and giving up
Zero FIR means any station must record your complaint. Jurisdiction is sorted afterwards, by the police.
Not noting the officer's details
Record the name, rank and buckle number of whoever handles your matter. Every escalation route asks for it.
None of this is legal advice. For a matter already in court, or a serious allegation against you, speak to a qualified advocate. Free legal aid is available to every woman, every child and anyone below the income threshold through the District Legal Services Authority — start with our help guides.
Related Guides for Manali
How to contact the police
Every route to reach the police, and which one suits your situation.
Read the guideCommon Questions About Manali Police Station
Common questions about visiting, contacting and filing complaints at Manali Police Station in Manali.
What is the phone number of Manali Police Station?
The listed telephone number for Manali Police Station is 01902-252340. Use it for non-urgent enquiries — confirming the station handles your matter, checking which documents to bring, or asking whether a particular officer is on duty. In an emergency dial 100 or 112 instead, which reaches the Himachal Pradesh control room and can dispatch the nearest unit.
See other stations near this oneWhere is Manali Police Station located?
Manali Police Station is located at Mall Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh in Manali, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, PIN code 175131. The map on this page gives turn-by-turn directions from wherever you are.
All police stations in ManaliWhat are the opening hours of Manali Police Station?
Manali Police Station is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, including public holidays, with a duty officer always at the front desk. It is busiest between roughly 10am and 1pm, so for anything non-urgent an early-morning or late-afternoon visit usually means a shorter wait.
Can I file an FIR at Manali Police Station?
Yes. Manali Police Station must register a First Information Report for any cognizable offence under Section 173 BNSS and cannot refuse. You are entitled to a free copy before you leave. Under Zero FIR the station must also record your complaint even if the offence occurred elsewhere, then transfer the file to the correct jurisdiction.
How to file an FIRHow do I file an NC at Manali Police Station?
Visit Manali Police Station and tell the duty officer what happened. For a non-cognizable matter — most often lost property such as a phone, wallet, passport or vehicle documents — the station records an NC entry and gives you a free copy. That copy is what your bank, insurer, the RTO or the passport office will ask for before issuing a duplicate.
Reporting lost propertyWhich areas fall under Manali Police Station?
Manali Police Station serves the Mall Road, Manali, Himachal Pradesh area of Manali in Kullu district. Jurisdiction boundaries are set by the Himachal Pradesh Police and can be redrawn, so call the station to confirm your address falls under it before travelling.
Police jurisdiction across Himachal PradeshHow far is Manali Police Station from my location?
Use the Find Near Me tool to measure the distance from where you are standing to this and every other indexed station, sorted nearest first. Bear in mind that the straight-line distance shown is always shorter than the actual road route.
Measure the distance from youDoes Manali Police Station have a women's helpdesk?
Yes. Every police station in India, Manali Police Station included, must operate a women's helpdesk. A statement about a sexual offence has to be recorded by a woman officer and may be given at a place of the survivor's choosing, including her own home. The women's helpline 1091 and domestic-abuse line 181 both run around the clock.
Women's safety resourcesCan I get passport verification done at Manali Police Station?
If your address falls under this jurisdiction, yes — passport applications from PIN code 175131 are routed here automatically once you apply at a Passport Seva Kendra. A beat constable visits your address, so keep Aadhaar, a utility bill and any rental agreement ready.
Police verification explainedCan I report a road accident to Manali Police Station?
Yes, for accidents within the Kullu jurisdiction. But if an accident is unfolding, call 112 first — the control room dispatches police and ambulance together and reaches you faster than travelling to a station. Indian law protects good-faith rescuers, and no hospital may refuse emergency treatment or demand payment first.
Traffic and accident guidanceCan I report a missing person at Manali Police Station?
Yes, and immediately — there is no twenty-four hour waiting period, despite the persistent myth. If the missing person is under eighteen, Manali Police Station must register an FIR straight away on the presumption of kidnapping and upload details to the TrackChild portal. Bring a recent photograph and a description of clothing.
Reporting someone missingHow do I report a lost phone to Manali Police Station?
File an NC at the station and keep the copy — your insurer and network operator will both want it. Also file on the CEIR portal, which blocks the handset by IMEI across every Indian network and continues tracing it even if the thief changes the SIM.
Lost phone and document guideWhat happens if Manali Police Station refuses to register my complaint?
Ask for the refusal in writing. Send a written complaint to the Superintendent or Deputy Commissioner of Police for Kullu by registered post, which Section 173(4) BNSS requires them to act on. If nothing follows, apply to a magistrate under Section 175(3) BNSS, who can order registration.
Escalating a refused complaintDo I have to pay anything at Manali Police Station?
No. Registering an FIR or NC, receiving your free copy, address and tenant verification and lost-property reports are all free government services. No officer is entitled to charge for them. If you are asked for money, report it to the Himachal Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau or Vigilance Commission.