SINGAPORE - A man almost hit a police officer with his car when he was stopped for his suspected involvement in a case of cheating.

The man had earlier met another man at Sengkang Square on Tuesday (Feb 8) after responding to the latter's post online to sell his luxury watch for $35,000.

After inspecting the watch, the man decided not to proceed with the purchase and allegedly returned a similar watch to the victim, said the police.

It was only after returning home that the victim, 28, realised the man had returned a different watch, which had a different serial number and was believed to be a counterfeit.

The police received the report of the alleged cheating case at 4.40pm that day.

An operation involving officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Police Operations Command Centre and Police Intelligence Department was immediately mounted to trace the suspect, said the police in a statement on Thursday.

Through investigations, the identity of the 26-year-old suspect was established.

On Wednesday, he was spotted in a car in the vicinity of Yishun Ring Road by officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division.

When the officers engaged the suspect in an open carpark and instructed him to step out of the car, he allegedly ignored their instructions and attempted to hit an officer with his car before speeding away, said the police.

The officer managed to move away to avoid being knocked down by the car, the police added.

Through extensive ground inquiries, the suspect was arrested after being spotted in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 later that day.

He will be charged in court on Friday with the offence of cheating. If convicted, he can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

The suspect is also being investigated for the offences of rash act and driving under disqualification.

If convicted of a rash act, he can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $2,500, or both.

If convicted of driving under disqualification, he can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $10,000, or both.