There have been several incidents of residents making fake emergency calls in the name of pranks or having fun with friends and authorities. However, things went way too far after a woman in Japan made more than 2,000 fake calls on emergency hotlines. So, what was the reason behind it? The woman said she was just “lonely.” The incident took place in the Japanese city of Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture where a 51-year-old woman named Hiroko Hatagami has been arrested after she admitted to having made over 2,000 false emergency calls for over a period of three years.
According to a local daily, the woman, who is a resident of Matsudo, allegedly obstructed the operations of the local fire department by making fake calls, as a result of which, a case was filed against her, resulting in her arrest last week.
The 51-year-old woman was accused of repeatedly making emergency calls from her home and the neighbourhood through mobile phones and other means with multiple medical complaints like stomach ache, medicine overdose, leg pain, and being unwell, among others, and further for seeking ambulance services between August 2020 and May 2023.
However, when the ambulances would arrive, she would turn them away and refuse to be transported while denying making any call.
She was also given multiple warnings from the fire department and the local police. However, as she continued doing so, the authorities were prompted to file a damage report case against her.
According to the report, Hatagami made 2,761 unnecessary emergency calls over a period of two years and nine months. Upon interrogation, the woman admitted to having made the calls, further explaining that she was lonely and wanted someone to listen to her and give her attention.
She also noted that making the calls felt like a “cure” for her loneliness.
