Man to be charged with giving false information in Mas Selamat manhunt
By Lee Foong Ming, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 08 March 2008 1143 hrs

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SINGAPORE: A 50-year-old bus driver will be charged in court on 10 March with deliberately giving false information to the police that's related to the manhunt for escaped Jemaah Islamiyah leader, Mas Selamat Kastari.

He is believed to have done so to get the rewards being offered by various private organisations and individuals for Mas Selamat's arrest.

Police said on two occasions on 1 Mar, the suspect had told police he saw someone resembling Mas Selamat on the evening of 27 February, the day the detainee escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre.

First, he alleged that “Mas Selamat" had boarded his bus along Thomson Road near the Old Police Academy and alighted at Lentor Avenue.

Later the same night, he said he saw "Mas Selamat" riding pillion on a motorcycle - and alighting at a bus stop along Thomson Road near the Singapore Polo Club.

He also gave police the registration plate of the motorcycle.

Acting on the information, police resources were sent to comb the Lentor Avenue.

Checks were also made on the motorcycle owner but these showed he had been involved in a road rage incident with the suspect at 10pm on 27 February.

In its statement on Saturday, the Police said it will not tolerate those who intentionally provide false information, as such actions distract resources and also compromise ongoing search efforts.

However it assured the public that as long as their information is given in good faith, they have no cause for concern.

And they should call the police immediately if they see any suspicious person or activities, no matter how trivial the information might seem. Police said all such information are taken seriously.

Under the Penal Code, anyone convicted for providing false information to a public servant could be jailed for up to one year, or fined up to S$5,000 or both. -CNA/vm