A bogus paramedic who went on emergency life-or-death calls is to be quizzed by police after he was exposed as a fake.

Patrick Pleser, 31, had signed up to work as an ambulance medic in Vogelsberg District, Hesse State, central Germany via a labour exchange used during staff shortages.

He had turned up for duty 27 times over four weeks.

But fellow paramedics had noticed that he was technically inept and had trouble operating medical devices.

He was only exposed, however, when he tried to cheat garage owner Hans-Juergen Rockel over the cost of car repairs and a hire car.

The mechanic had become suspicious of Pleser’s over-friendly manner and the way he always wore flip-flops, even with his paramedic uniform.

As he reported him to police, Rockel warned them: “Please check if he is even an emergency doctor.”

It later emerged that his colleagues from the ambulance service had spotted his oddball dress code and dubbed him the “paramedic in flip-flops”.

When police checked Pleser’s background, they discovered documents used to secure his job were apparently fakes.

The Red Cross filed a complaint, and the public prosecutor’s office in Giessen is now investigating Pleser for misuse of job titles, fraud, and forgery of documents.

They are also investigating him for possible bodily harm and hope to clarify whether he harmed anyone during his stint with the ambulance service.

Chief Public Prosecutor Thomas Hauburger told local media: “During a search of the suspect’s house, we secured documents. Suspicion of forgery.”

The investigation is ongoing.