BENTONG: After a 26-year-old gardener gambled away RM20,400 at a casino in Genting Highlands, he went to a nearby police station to lodge a report claiming he had been robbed.
However, his ruse was exposed when police reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the alleged 'robbery' location and discovered that he had sold his valuables for cash to gamble.
Bentong police chief Superintendent Zaiham Mohd Kahar said the man lodged the report at 11pm yesterday, claiming he had been robbed by three men armed with a knife in Genting Highlands.
"The man claimed that he lost RM20,400 to the suspects. Police recorded his statement and visited the crime scene before reviewing the CCTV footage. We found that the so-called victim had met another individual and sold his gold ring, chain, and mobile phone to gamble at Genting Highlands.
"A report was lodged against the man, and the case is being investigated under Section 182 of the Penal Code for making a false police report," he said in a statement today.
Zaiham added that the man could face a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to RM2,000, or both upon conviction.
It is understood that the suspect had spent all the cash in the casino before he went to the police station to lodge the report.