Indian Penal Code, 1860
Section 281
repealedExhibition of false light, mark or buoy
Whoever exhibits any false light, mark or buoy, intending or knowing it to be likely that such exhibition will mislead any navigator, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.
Why this exists
Lights, marks, and buoys guide sailors safely around hazards like rocks, shallows, or shifting channels. A false signal can lure a vessel into danger, sometimes deliberately, for example to cause a shipwreck for looting or insurance fraud. The relatively high punishment (up to seven years) reflects how catastrophic the consequences of such deception can be. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, this offence continues under a renumbered section.