ANYANG, Gyeonggi Province (Yonhap) -- Local police said Friday they have filed suit for 13.82 million won ($12,210) against a man who pretended to have been kidnapped.

The Anyang Manan Police Station in Anyang, south of Seoul, said it filed the suit with a local court on Thursday, demanding compensation from the 21-year-old man who called police on April 18, saying he had been kidnapped. Police say the call was an attempt to spite them for previously having the man fined for theft.

The caller, whose name was withheld, is being sued for the overtime costs of officers who searched for him, compensation for mental stress and travel expenses.

More than 50 officers, including the chief of the police station, searched for the man after he called and claimed to be being held inside a black car by a stranger, police said.

The incident came days after police drew strong criticism for mishandling an emergency call from a kidnap victim in Suwon, south of Seoul. The woman's mutilated body was found on April 2, about 13 hours after she called the police for help. The police chief at the time, Cho Hyun-oh, took responsibility for the fumbled response and stepped down last month.