SINGAPORE, March 14 —  A Malaysian woman who was caught after slipping past immigration officers at Woodlands Checkpoint on January 17 has been sent back to Malaysia after charges against her were dismissed by the prosecution on account of her mental illness.

The 27 year-old Nurul Rohana Ishak was, however, granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

Nurul had earlier faced three charges, including criminal trespass and offences under the Immigration Act.

The prosecution had withdrawn the charges against Nurul following a report from the Institute of Mental Health.

She was diagnosed with a paranoid subtype of schizophrenia.

Malaysian Deputy High Commissioner to Singapore Kamsiah Kamaruddin told Bernama that Nurul was released by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore late this afternoon and escorted until the Malaysian Immigration Checkpoint in Johor Baru.

Kamsiah and several officials from the Malaysian High Commission were present when Nurul Rohana arrived at the checkpoint.

On January 17, the woman, from Kampung Baharu, Bukit Jenun in Pendang, Kedah was alleged to have crashed through the security barrier at the Singapore Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex in Woodlands here.

Over the next three days, she had disappeared without a trace in the republic, despite a nationwide police alert to track her down until the authorities caught up with her at the ministry’s compound.

Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, Wisma Putra thanked the relevant agencies of the Singapore government, especially the republic’s Institute of Mental Health, for its excellent care and treatment of Nurul Rohana.

“Malaysia also would like to thank Abraham Vergis from the Pro Bono Services Office of the Law Society of Singapore for his assistance in representing Nurul Rohana,” it said in a statement issued in Kuala Lumpur today.

Wisma Putra said the Malaysian government, through its High Commission in Singapore, had been providing necessary consular assistance to Nurul Rohana and her family since her detention last January. — Bernama