A number of female students have received harassing phone calls in the last two weeks from an anonymous male who speaks in a whisper, the police confirm.

Peggy A. McNamara, the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) spokesperson, said that HUPD is investigating the calls and that they have been traced to an out-of-state phone number.

"We are currently working with an out-of-state agency to pursue this criminally," she said. Citing the integrity of the ongoing investigation, McNamara refused to comment on the suspect or any patterns in the calls.

McNamara said that HUPD is working under the assumption that all of the calls were connected, however.

Female Harvard students say they've received similar calls for some time.

Numerous students have contacted The Crimson, describing the calls. Most of them asked that their names not be used. One common element among the reports is that the caller rarely becomes sexually explicit.

Although McNamara declined to say when the calls began, students reported that they had begun at least as early as last February--and some said they were called several years ago.

Ann E. Chernicoff '03 said she was called between 25 and 30 times from February to April.