Are verbal threats over the phone a punishable offence?

Yes, making threats intended to cause alarm or fear of injury — whether communicated in person, over the phone, or through any other means — can amount to criminal intimidation, a punishable offence, and you can file a police complaint reporting this.

It would help significantly to have some form of evidence supporting your complaint — call recordings if you have them, screenshots of related messages, phone records showing the calls occurred, or witnesses who may have heard the threats or been told about them by you contemporaneously.

If the threats are serious or you feel your safety is genuinely at risk, don't hesitate to approach the police urgently rather than waiting, and mention clearly that you fear for your or your family's immediate safety, since this can prompt more urgent police response. A lawyer can also help advise you on protective legal steps, such as seeking a restraining order, alongside the criminal complaint.