JOHOR BARU, Jan 28 — A Singaporean woman, who claimed she was almost abducted at a shopping mall here last week, will be charged in the Magistrate’s Court here this morning for filing a false police report.
Johor police chief Datuk M. Kumar said the 45-year-old woman, who is also a social media influencer and content creator, is under state police custody.
He said the suspect will be brought and charged at the Magistrate’s Court here at 9am.
“The investigation papers have been referred to the Johor state legal advisor’s office and a decision has been made to charge the woman under Section 182 of the Penal Code for providing false information with intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of others,” he said in statement late last night.
Section 182 of the Penal Code provides for a jail term of up to six months, or a fine up to RM2,000, or both if convicted.
The state’s top police officer was commenting on report that was filed on January 22 by the woman, alleging that she was “nearly abducted and kidnapped” after a tea sampling at the KSL shopping mall here.
The woman, known as Venus Ho, had earlier on January 14, posted a video online cautioning others after her alleged ordeal.
Kumar said that in her report, the woman claimed she was approached by a couple who wanted to promote tea in conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year celebration.
“The woman alleged that she was forced by the couple to inhale the tea that they were promoting, causing her to feel dizzy and lose consciousness.
“However, police investigations found that the attempted abduction did not occur based on close circuit television (CCTV) footage and technical evidence pointing to the lack of movement at the scene,” he explained.
Kumar added that the unconfirmed abduction incident had in fact received negative feedback after it was widely circulated on several social media platforms.
He said some segments from the public believed that the incident had actually occurred and linked it to the issue of safety in Johor.
“The Johor police assure that the issue of safety and security involving public order in the state is under control. The police are constantly monitoring the security aspects in the state,” he said.
Kumar warned that strict action will be taken against any individuals who deliberately threaten the safety of others.
“This includes spreading unverified rumours or manipulating facts with the aim of causing social unrest.
“I want to also remind the public to check and verify the authenticity of any information on social media first,” he said.
