SINGAPORE - Police are investigating an 18-year-old man for lodging a false report alleging that two unknown men had assaulted him and robbed him of $60 in cash.

On Thursday (July 28) at about 7.45pm, the man filed a report at Paya Lebar Neighbourhood Police Post of the incident, which he claimed had occurred at a fitness corner near Block 351B Canberra Road.

In a news release on Friday, police said that officers from Ang Mo Kio Division detected "many inconsistencies" during their investigation and established that the man had provided false information by claiming he was the victim of a robbery.

Investigations against the man are ongoing, the statement said.

Anyone convicted of giving any information which he knows to be false to a public servant can be jailed up to one year, fined up to $5,000, or both.

Police reminded the public that its resources could have been better used in dealing with real crimes and emergencies than investigating false information.

It added that those who lodge false reports or provide false information will face serious consequences under the law.