Man held over bogus emails sent to families of missing

A MAN is being questioned by police in England in connection with a series of hoax emails sent to friends and relatives of people missing following the tsunami.

The emails were sent to people who placed appeals for information on the Sky News website.

The messages, which purported to be from the “Foreign Office Bureau” in Thailand, told the relatives that their loved ones were dead. A 40-year-old man was initially arrested in Lincolnshire on New Year’s Eve in a joint operation between Scotland Yard and Lincolnshire Police.

Computer equipment was also seized and the man was released on bail pending further inquiries. Scotland Yard said yesterday that the man had been rearrested at about 11pm on Saturday night.

He was taken to a central London police station this morning for further questioning and remains in custody. Police have said they are treating the matter as a “very serious crime.”

A spokesman said: “the Metropolitan Police Service would like to reassure the public that these messages are hoaxes.

“The British government would not use email to convey news of the death of a loved one.”