NTU student provided false info on assault on campus: Police
SINGAPORE — Police are investigating a 19-year-old female student from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for allegedly providing false information on being assaulted along Nanyang Walk on Saturday evening (14 December).
Her false alert had activated several police cars, which were deployed around NTU until early Sunday morning as they conducted a campus-wide search for the assailant.
Mentions of the incident began to circulate as early as 12.30am on social media. The NTU student union had also put up an Instagram post at about 1.30am on Sunday morning, urging members who were on campus to stay indoors for their “own safety” and to “better aid the ongoing investigations”.
Police urging public to refrain from speculation
However, police have released a media statement later on Sunday, saying that the incident was a false alarm.
“On 14 December 2019 at 6.24pm, the police were alerted to a case of an alleged assault on a female NTU student along Nanyang Walk,” the media statement said.
“Investigations subsequently revealed that the 19-year-old student had provided false information to the police and the alleged assault did not occur. The police are investigating her for providing false information.
“The police would like to urge members of the public to refrain from commenting or speculating on the case so as to avoid causing unnecessary alarm.”
NTU had also released a media statement on the incident. It said, “Police were at the NTU campus yesterday night following allegation of an assault on a female NTU student on campus.
“The police has issued a statement saying that preliminary investigations revealed that the 19-year-old student had provided false information and the alleged assault did not occur.
“We would like to assure the NTU community that there is no cause for concern about their safety on campus.
“The university is reaching out to affected students to provide them with the necessary care and support from the University's pastoral care team.
“The university is assisting the police and will not be able to comment further.”
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