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Police have received a number of fake distress calls this week from someone reporting that people had fallen into Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park. The park, in Tokyo's Taito Ward, has been crowded each day with thousands of people coming to view cherry blossoms.
The first of many calls was made on the morning of March 29, Fuji TV reported. The caller said someone had fallen out of a boat into the water. When police arrived at the scene, they found no sign of anyone having fallen into the pond.
Over the next eight hours, a number of similar calls with the same message -- "Someone has fallen into the pond" -- were made to police in the ward.
According to police, all of the calls came from a payphone outside a convenience store near the park and all appeared to be from the same man.
Police say that six similar cases were also reported in the week to March 3.
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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Mirai Hayashi
Convenience stores have cameras.....matter of time
lucabrasi
Why would you call the police, and not an ambulance?
Idiot....
FightingViking
April fool's day was TODAY ! But it's not funny to make that kind of call ANY day. When help is REALLY needed, they may no longer believe it (like the little boy who cried "Wolf" !)
toshiko
According to police, all of the calls came from a payphone outside a convenience store near the park and all appeared to be from the same man.
This means police already have suspect's mug shot and knows who did. Extracted finger print for digital age finger print extracting machine database.
smithinjapan
Seems like it would be pretty easy to catch the person responsible. We're unlikely to hear any follow up on it, but that's my guess.
justbcuzisay
I hope they catch this idiot caller soon. 'Crying wolf' could put innocent lives at risk if the police stop taking calls seriously.
FrancescoB
I doubt an ambulance crew would be willing to dive in and fish someone out of the water. The police are more multipurpose.
One might even consider calling firemen before an ambulance, but I am not sure how to contact a fire department without a direct number. 119 is for an ambulance and also mountain rescue, and 110 is for police. And generally 110 is more widely advertised.
lucabrasi
119 for the fire department, too.
Commodore Shmidlap (Retired)
What a stupid thing to do. Probably a drunk hanami-goer thinking he's being hilarious.