Woman arrested for making over 2,700 false emergency calls because she 'wanted attention'
Woman allegedly made 2,761 false emergency calls in over two years, saying she was "lonely" and "wanted attention."
According to a report by Japanese media outlet The Mainichi, the local police arrested Hiroko Hatagami on Thursday, July 13 for making 2,761 “unnecessary emergency calls” in a span of two years and nine months.
Detailing the case, the 51-year-old unemployed woman in Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture, Japan often made emergency calls from her home and around her neighborhood about different “emergency reasons,” such as stomachache, overdosing, and leg pain, among others despite not really feeling ill.
According to the authorities, Hiroko even requested to dispatch ambulances from the Matsudo Fire Department between August 2020 to May 2023, but refused to be transported by saying "I don't want to take an ambulance" or denying that she did the call.
While she was warned to stop making fake emergency calls as it is considered an obstruction to the operation of the fire department, she still continued doing so in the years that followed. She was charged and finally arrested earlier this week.
The investigators said Hiroko has admitted to committing the crime.
“I was lonely and wanted someone to listen to me and give me attention,” she was quoted as saying.