Police Phone Prank Controversy… 30s Woman Claims "Retaliatory Calls"

A woman in her 30s residing in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province reported that she received over ten retaliatory prank calls from the police, which was shared on JTBC's 'Incident Report' on the 28th.

According to the broadcast, the woman claimed to have received a total of 16 prank calls from the same number over a 30-minute period starting from 6:29 AM on the 16th of this month.

It was reported that when she answered the calls, the caller would hang up immediately, and if she called back, they would not pick up.

The informant stated that the caller made nonsensical sounds like "Nya Nya Nya~ Nya Nya Nya~" and expressed anger by saying, "Who is this, oppa?" and "Why do you keep calling!" before hanging up.

Additionally, the sound of laughter from a woman was heard on the line, and the caller identified themselves as 'the police'.

Prank Calls Following Conflict with Police… Caller Identified as Police Work Phone Number

These prank calls occurred right after the informant had a confrontation with the police. The informant received a verbal witness inquiry from the police related to an assault incident that occurred during a drinking gathering with acquaintances the day before receiving the prank calls.

Feeling that the police's attitude was arrogant at the time, she reported the matter to 112 multiple times, claiming that she received these prank calls afterward.

Having suspicions, the informant visited the police station on the morning of the prank calls and confirmed that the number was indeed a police work mobile phone used by the station.

The number confirmed to be a police work phone used by the station

The informant returned to the police station the next day and had a direct meeting with the police officer who made the prank calls, discovering that this officer held the rank of 'sergeant'.

According to the informant's testimony, the sergeant admitted, "I'm sorry, I did it," but his attitude lacked sincerity, and he seemed to downplay the situation by saying, "I wanted to set an example for the juniors" or "I just copied 'Nya Nya Nya' from a drama."

This incident also affected the informant's health.

The informant reported that she had been receiving psychiatric treatment for anxiety and obsessive symptoms since November of last year, and this incident worsened her condition, leading to a diagnosis that she would require several months of medication.

Police Investigation Underway… Acknowledgment of "Careless Behavior"

The case has been reported to the National Police Agency, and the police department has recently initiated an internal investigation.

A representative from the Audit and Inspection Office stated, "It appears that the police acted carelessly towards the complainant," while also noting, "Since it is still in the early stages of investigation, there is nothing more we can disclose at this time."

The production team of 'Incident Report' made several attempts to contact the police officer using the police work mobile phone, but failed to connect.

Regarding this case, attorney Park Ji-hoon commented, "The sergeant is in a senior position," and expressed, "It is hard to understand that a supervisor in charge of a police station would behave so carelessly."

Image source: jtbc 'Incident Report,' reference images for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank