Chal Buddy

Safety Policy

Last updated: 24 October 2026 · Version 2026-10-draft-1

Safety is the first thing we design for. This policy explains what we do, and what we ask of everyone who uses Chal Buddy.

Verification

  • Every companion verifies their ID through DigiLocker, takes a live selfie matched to the ID, adds their PAN and a bank account in their own name, completes our rules training, passes a quiz and signs the companion agreement.
  • Some companions also have a video interview: when a risk flag is raised (a selfie mismatch, a flagged photo or bio, a phone, device or payment method already used by another account, or a report before approval), when picked in our random sample, or for activities that always need one.
  • Customers verify their ID with a live selfie before their first in-person meetup.

Where and when meetups happen

  • Only at approved public venues such as cafés, malls, cinema lobbies and event grounds.
  • Only within booking hours, normally 09:00 to 21:00, and only in cities where Chal Buddy is live.
  • Never at homes, hotel rooms or other private places.

During a meetup (mobile app only)

  • Check-in code: both people confirm they have met with a 4-digit code in the app.
  • Live location: shared with our safety team only while the meetup is active, and kept for 30 days unless it is needed for an incident.
  • Safety check-in: once during each meetup the app asks "Are you OK?". If there is no answer within 5 minutes, our safety team follows up.
  • SOS: one tap alerts our safety team and your trusted contacts with your location, offers a one-tap call to 112, and falls back to SMS if your internet connection is weak.
  • Trusted contacts: people you choose can follow your meetup status on a private, expiring page.
  • Check-out code: confirms the meetup has ended.

These tools exist only in the mobile app, so the meetup itself always runs in the app.

Payments

All payments go through Razorpay. The companion is paid only after the meetup and a 24-hour window without a dispute. Never pay in cash or outside Chal Buddy.

Chat

Chat blocks phone numbers, emails, links, social media handles, UPI IDs and requests to pay outside the Platform. Messages that suggest someone may be at risk are flagged to our safety team.

Reports and the safety team

  • Report or block anyone, anytime, from their profile or the chat.
  • Critical and high-severity reports freeze the reported account until reviewed.
  • A trained safety agent watches the live safety console during booking hours, with the founder as backup.

In an emergency

  • Call 112 (police, ambulance, fire).
  • For emotional support, call Tele-MANAS on 14416 (free, 24×7). Chal Buddy companions are not counsellors.