Nurse Jacintha Saldanha to Elton John: Pranks that went horribly wrong

We might dismiss prank calls as something casual, but a prank call is not always a joke; especially not when it involves a serious issue or leads to irreparable consequences. Remember the nurse, Jacintha Saldanha? Or for that matter, those teenagers who ended their lives after a thoughtless prank by friends, or those hoax calls that ended marriages?

At times, even celebrities have been pranked for entertainment purposes. However, the prank played on Sir Elton John by two TV presenters was far from a joke, as it left the legendary singer red-faced. A joke gone wrong has no explanation, no excuse. And thus, we list five pranks that went horribly wrong:

1. Elton John-Vlaidmir Putin hoax call:
Sir Elton John ruffled a few feathers on Tuesday when he said that Vladimir Putin phoned him after the musician requested a meeting to discuss Russia's anti-gay environment. On Instagram, the British star said, "Thank-you to President Vladimir Putin for reaching out and speaking via telephone with me today. I look forward to meeting with you face-to-face to discuss LGBT equality in Russia."

But Putin's spokesman denied the report.
A day later, it was revealed that the phone call was actually a hoax by two TV presenters, Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov, with one playing Putin and another translating his remarks. The pranksters aired a recording of the conversation on state TV, before publishing it on YouTube. They said they couldn't resist calling Elton after the singer said he would love to discuss the issue with Putin. Well, the 68-year-old musician won't find the attempt to satiate their curiosity amusing!

2. Death of Jacintha Saldanha. Worst radio prank ever?
Jacintha Saldanha a nurse at King Edward VII's Hospital Sister Agnes in London was found dead in her official quarters at the Hospital on December 7, 2012. Reason: Saldanha fell for a prank phone call as part of a radio stunt which cost her Three days before purportedly committing suicide, the hosts of the Australian radio programme Hot30 Countdown, in Sydney, called Saldanha's hospital and impersonated the Queen and the Prince of Wales, enquiring about the health of the Duchess of Cambridge, who was admitted there due to morning sickness. Saldanha fell for the hoax and transferred the call to the nurse looking after the Duchess.

3. Worst political prank in the history
In a report by The Daily Beast, On January 20, 1926, BBC announcer Ronald Knox learnt the lesson of his life through a prank that misfired miserably. During his radio programme, he announced that a violent revolution had erupted in London. Sharing minute details of the "upheaval" with his listeners, Knox said that a mob of unemployed workers had stormed the city's major buildings, looting and destroying everything in sight. The announcement sent panic waves across the city. Knox went a step ahead and declared that the Big Ben had fallen. Knox's joke caused widespread frenzy across Britain, until the radio station busted the prank.

4. Prank that created panic of the worst kind
There are pranks and there are thoughtless pranks--this one (Also reported by the The Daily Beast) is the latter. In 1992, two presenters of F99 WNOR, a radio station in Hampton Roads, Virginia, broke the news to their listeners that a methane gas explosion was imminent near a landfill near Virginia Beach. Since evacuation was necessary for the fear of explosion, frantic listeners started calling 911. Some locals even fled the area. When the radio station announced it was a prank, nobody was amused.

5. Mean pranks can break homes too
Playing pranks on your significant other with "I cheated" may be common, but what happens when it backfires? Ask Roman Atwood. In 2013, professional YouTube prankster Roman Atwood thought of playing a prank on his girlfriend to "celebrate five years of togetherness". But Atwood was in for the shock of his life when his girlfriend broke down and admitted she'd been unfaithful too. It could have been the end of a sweet love story, had she not revealed what she did!