Fake cop in dead relative prank arrested

A man who pretended to be a police officer delivering bad news to people, has been arrested at his house in Alkmaar. “This fake officer caused a lot of pain and grief,” police said in a press release. They started investigating the 22-year-old suspect in February, after reports came in from all over the country about a man calling with “bad news.” The fake officer would call and tell people that their father, mother, spouse or even their child had passed away; the dead relative had either been murdered or died in a tragic accident. In some instances he would embellish his lie even further, telling his victims that people had been killed by other family members. He would also urge people to rush to the hospital as soon as possible. When his startled victims would reach the hospital, they would learn though that they had been duped in a tasteless prank. “Some people are still suffering as a result of this joke,” police said. Police in The Hague have held the man since Monday March 16. So far police are investigating 50 complaints that have been filed in this case. He will be taken in front of a police judge on Wednesday. The release explained that police as a matter of principle would never deliver “bad news” over the phone.