35-year-old Joyce Tan Hwee Leng, a waitress at a prominent restaurant, wanted to maintain a good relationship with a chef at her workplace with the latter asked to borrow $6,700, which she agreed.
However, she later made up a story and lied that she had been robbed by two men, and reported it to the police, according to The Straits Times.
Her actions did not go unpunished. On Thursday, she pleaded guilty to giving false information to the authorities. As a result, she was fined $2,000.
The Request for Assistance
It all began when the executive chef approached Joyce Tan for financial help. On or around March 14, he requested a substantial loan of $6,700. Although Joyce wasn’t keen on parting with such a significant sum, she wanted to maintain a harmonious rapport with her colleague. Thus, she reluctantly agreed to help him.
Two days later, on March 16, Joyce Tan called the chef and asked to meet near her residence to hand over the money. However, during their conversation, the chef proposed a change in plans. He suggested collecting the cash at their workplace the following day. Joyce consented to this revised arrangement.
The Alleged Robbery
On the night of March 16, while Joyce was outside smoking near Block 504C Yishun Street 51, an unexpected incident occurred.
At approximately 10:20 PM, she made a distress call to the police, reporting that she had been robbed by two men.
According to her account, the perpetrators had approached her under the pretext of asking for a cigarette. They allegedly brandished a small knife and demanded her money.
Joyce told the authorities, “They pointed what looked like a small knife and took my money.” She described the culprits as either Malay or Indian, aged between 20 to 30 years old, and wearing blue masks.
She further claimed that they had taken her bag, which contained the $6,700 she intended to lend to the chef.
Police Intervention
Upon receiving the distress call, two police officers promptly arrived at the scene. Joyce Tan maintained her fabricated narrative, insisting that the two “robbers” had fled in the direction of Block 504C after seizing her money and bag.
This incident prompted a significant allocation of police resources to investigate the case thoroughly.
The Truth Comes to Light
However, the truth did not remain concealed for long. After approximately three hours, Joyce Tan confessed to fabricating the entire story.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kathy Chu revealed in court that Joyce had provided inconsistent statements to the police.
Under further questioning, she broke down and admitted her deception. Her motivation? She did not want to lend the chef money and needed a plausible excuse.