KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — A Japanese woman has been arrested for allegedly making 2,761 fake emergency calls, citing loneliness.

Hiroko Hatagami, 51, was said to have made the calls over a period of two years and nine months, The Mainichi reported.

Chiba Prefectural Police's Matsudo Higashi Police Station said Hatagami, an unemployed resident in the city of Matsudo, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing the operations of a local fire department.

She had since admitted to the allegations, and had reportedly told investigators she was lonely and wanted someone to listen to her and give her attention.

Hatagami was accused of repeatedly making emergency calls from her home and neighborhood with a mobile phone.

Among the reasons used when she made the calls were she had a stomach ache, she took a large dose of medicine and her legs hurt although she was not unwell.

She also requested the Matsudo Fire Department to dispatch ambulances between August 15, 2020, and May 25 this year but when the ambulances arrived, she would refuse to get onto the vehicle, saying she did not want to take an ambulance or denying she made the call.

The authorities had warned her several times against making the unnecessary calls, but she continued doing so before the Fire Department decided to file a report with the police on June 20.