Conspiracy theory alert: Is Todd Barclay's doppelgänger investigating his case?

The scandal around National MP Todd Barclay's alleged secret recording case is deepening.

A bizarre new theory has sprung up after police announced they were re-opening their investigation into the matter, following an investigation by Newsroom.

But conspiracies are swirling after it was revealed who would be conducting the investigation.

"The police officer in charge of the Todd Barclay investigation looks like he's Todd Barclay's Dad," Reddit user TruFalcon proposed on Wednesday morning.

The comparison got people thinking, with others questioning whether the officer was a relative, a complete stranger - or Mr Barclay wearing a costume.

"He looks like him, just with a fake tan and frosted tips. Holy sh**, he is a 90s backstreet boy Todd Barclay police officer," user maybemeat said.

Comedian Melanie Bracewell also joined in on the speculation.

"HE IS STRAIGHT UP TODD BARCLAY IN AN OLD MAN COSTUME I'M DYING," she tweeted.

The case has been drowned in confusion and mix-ups over the past week, with Prime Minister Bill English first saying he couldn't recall anything, before admitting he had spoken to police, then speculating the tape in question may not really exist before admitting Mr Barclay had offered to play the tape.

As of Monday's post-Cabinet press conference, Mr English was still refusing to acknowledge whether he thought the tape existed.

Mr Barclay has announced he won't be standing at the next election and police have declared they will re-open the case.

But the conspiracy theorists can rest easy.

"The police officer is Assistant Commissioner [investigations] Richard Chambers, who we can confirm is no relation to Mr Barclay," a police spokesperson told Newshub.

Asst Cmsr Chambers is not in charge of Mr Barclay's particular case, but is the head of investigations for New Zealand Police.

However, the spokesperson did not respond to allegations Asst Cmsr Chambers was in fact Mr Barclay with a fake tan and a wig.

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