Man who shouted 'Help!' and hung up nearly 90 times caught by police

A man who called the emergency line 112 nearly 100 times, saying only "help" before hanging up, has been arrested while riding his bicycle through Seoul.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday that its official YouTube channel, "Seoul Police," published a video July 31 titled "Who is the caller trying to shake off police by shouting 'Help! Help!'?"

According to the video, the suspect, identified only as A, is accused of making false emergency calls over several months starting in late April, roaming the Jongno, Jung-gu and Mapo areas of Seoul, calling 112, saying "help" and then hanging up.

The false calls totaled about 90 — 24 in the Jongno and Jung-gu areas alone and five in the Mapo area.

Police tracked the caller's mobile phone location and analyzed his movement route and speed. Noting that he moved faster than a pedestrian but slower than a vehicle, they concluded he was traveling by bicycle.

Officers who responded to the scene received information from colleagues at the local police box that the caller was A, who had already made dozens of false reports. They blocked his path from both directions as he tried to flee on his bicycle, surrounded him and arrested him on the spot after a stop-and-frisk check.

A told police during questioning that he did it "just as a prank."

Police booked A on charges of obstructing public officials in the performance of their duties through deceptive means.