A Japanese plumber was arrested for calling a toll-free number around 500 times so he could hear a taped female voice, police said on Monday.
Hiroyuki Nomoto, a 38-year-old Tokyo resident, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing the business of the company, a food firm based in the city of Takasaki north of the capital.
“The company has the number for 24-hour order-taking with a female voice. He said he wanted to hear a woman’s voice,” a police spokesperson said.
“The company paid the call charges, which amounted to ¥3,8-million ($36 900) for the call time of 3 100 hours,” the official said.
Obsession with female voices is not new for Japanese police.
A 37-year-old man was arrested in January after placing at least 2 600 calls to directory help over several months.
Telephone operators — who in Japan are almost always women — reportedly nicknamed him the “don’t-hang-up-man”. – AFP