SINGAPORE - When a senior police officer was unable to meet an alleged molestation victim to interview her, she decided to speed up the investigation by forging the woman's statement.

Kalaivani Kalimuthu's account gave the impression that the alleged victim did not mind being touched and recommended that no further action be taken.

But when the woman was interviewed later, she denied making the statement - and the senior staff sergeant's deceit was uncovered.

Kalaivani was sentenced to five months' jail on Tuesday (Jan 8) after pleading guilty last month to a forgery charge.

She was an investigation officer at Ang Mo Kio Police Division between September 2011 and November 2016.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephanie Chew said the alleged victim had lodged a police report and provided a statement on March 27, 2016, saying she had been molested.

Kalaivani was assigned to the case the following month.

She was supposed to interview the woman but "encountered difficulty in arranging an interview", the court heard.

She then forged the statement in her office in November 2016. In the statement, Kalaivani said that the woman had also touched the alleged molester and did not mind being touched herself.

Kalaivani forged the woman's signature then forwarded the investigation papers to her officer-in-charge on Nov 25, 2016, recommending that no further action be taken .

The case was later reassigned to Senior Investigation Officer (SIO) Pang Shijie.

In December 2016, the investigation papers were sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), recommending that the alleged victim be warned for providing false information.

But the AGC directed the police to record a further statement from the woman, who denied making the earlier statement when SIO Pang interviewed her in June 2017.

There was also no record of the woman visiting the station on the date Kalaivani purportedly recorded her statement.

Kalaivani has been suspended from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) since Sept 14, 2017.

In a statement, the SPF said other cases which she had been involved in were relooked to determine whether she had acted in a manner prejudicial to investigations. The statement added that officers are expected to uphold the law and maintain the highest standards of conduct and integrity. "We deal severely with officers who break the law, including charging them in court."

For forgery, Kalaivani could have been jailed for up to four years and fined.