Indian-origin woman charged for making hoax calls to Singapore police

PTI

Singapore, September 28

A 27-year-old Indian-origin woman was charged in Singapore on Thursday for making hoax calls to the police, including one about a friend's attempted suicide.

According to court documents, Salvinder Kaur allegedly made two calls to the police on August 26 to report a friend's attempted suicide at a Housing Board flat in Pasir Ris housing estate, but it was not true.

The police said she purportedly made the calls from a local landline.

Police officers established her identity and arrested her on September 16, reported The Straits Times newspapers used to cooperate with the police to hand over her digital device for investigation.

She was arrested for the offence of resisting the taking of property by the lawful authority of a public servant, said the police.

Kaur's next court case is on October 19.

From January to August, the police received more than 1.3 million 999 (emergency) calls – which amounts to more than 5,000 emergency calls daily.

Out of the 5,000 calls, about 4,000 were silent calls from mobile phones. Call operators from the Police Operations Command Centre (POCC) spent more time answering silent calls, resulting in longer waiting times for real emergency calls.

The police said hoax calls also divert scarce resources from responding to real emergencies.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Lee Su Peng, said it is an offence to abuse emergency hotline numbers. Those who make harassing or obscene calls to emergency phone numbers can be jailed for up to one year, fined up to 5,000 dollars or both.

Those who communicate a false message can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to 10,000 dollars or both. Communicating false information about harmful things carries a heavier penalty of jail for up to seven years, a fine of up to 50,000 dollars or both.