KOTA KINABALU: Two housewives, desperate for cash to buy cosmetics, are in trouble after filing a false police report claiming knife-wielding suspects robbed them.
Sandakan district police chief Asst Comm Abdul Fuad Abdul Malek said the 34-year-old woman and her 20-year-old friend initially reported being victims of an armed robbery on Tuesday (Jan 7) at around 7pm in town.
According to their police report, three suspects allegedly stole two mobile phones and RM136 in cash from them.
However, further investigation revealed inconsistencies in their statements.
"Following a detailed investigation, we discovered that the robbery never took place. Instead, the two women had pawned their mobile phones at a pawn shop in Sandakan town," Abdul Fuad said on Thursday (Jan 9).
He added that the women admitted to fabricating the story because they needed money to buy cosmetics but feared being scolded by their husbands.
The duo are now being investigated under Section 182 of the Penal Code for providing false information to the authorities.
If found guilty, they could face a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both.
"The public is reminded not to resort to such actions, as filing false police reports is a serious offence that wastes valuable police resources," Abdul Fuad said.
