SINGAPORE - Police are investigating a 40-year-old man for making a false police report that he had been robbed along Orchard Road on Aug 2 at about 2pm.

The man claimed that he was assaulted by men, who then took his belongings, including cash and mobile phone, before running away.

The police said officers from the Tanglin Police Division conducted extensive enquiries at the alleged crime scene after receiving the police report.

However, they found inconsistencies in the information provided by the man.

He eventually admitted that the information he gave to the police was false.

Investigations against the man are ongoing.

Police resources could have been better used to deal with real crimes than investigating into false reports, the police said.

Anyone who is convicted for giving false information to a public servant can be jailed for of up to a year and fined up to $5000.