Foo Jia Hong, a 37-year-old Singaporean, made 1,035 silent calls to four neighbourhood police centres (NPCs) in Singapore between April 21 and 29, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. He targeted Yishun NPC with 425 calls, Bedok NPC with 308 calls, Geylang NPC with 278 calls, and Ang Mo Kio NPC with 24 calls [2, 3, 4]. Of the calls to Yishun NPC, 330 were answered by officers, while the rest went unanswered, causing subsequent calls to be put on hold and delaying police response [1, 2, 3, 4].
Foo made the calls using a SIM card registered under a foreign worker’s name, which he found inside a second-hand phone cover bought in Ang Mo Kio early in 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The foreign worker told authorities he had discarded the SIM card [1, 2, 3, 4].
Foo admitted to making the calls “for fun and enjoyment” but was arrested by police on May 11, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. After his arrest, he was remanded to the Institute of Mental Health for psychiatric assessment, where he was diagnosed with mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. However, medical experts found no connection between these conditions and his offence, noted Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Kai [1, 2, 3, 4].
Foo pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily obstructing police officers at Yishun NPC, while three other charges related to the other NPCs were considered during sentencing [1, 2, 3, 4]. The prosecution sought a jail term of three to five weeks because of the disruption caused and Foo’s prior conviction in January 2025 for communicating false messages [1, 2, 3, 4]. Defence lawyer Daniel Atticus Xu argued for a two-week sentence, stating, “My client had contacted the NPCs and not dialled 999 - the public emergency hotline.” [2, 3, 4]
On August 26, 2026, Foo was sentenced to 23 days in jail after pleading guilty to obstructing police officers [1, 2, 3, 4].
