In an unusual turn of events, a seemingly harmless prank took a serious legal twist for 48-year-old Masewan Edi. What started as a joke involving a fake attempted snatch theft ended with real criminal charges for providing false information to the authorities, according to The Straits Times.
The Prank Unfolds
On April 28, 2023, at around 9:40 pm, Masewan Edi decided to play a prank on his friend. He called his friend and spun a fake story, claiming that three unknown Chinese men had confronted him at a Housing Board block in Bukit Batok Central. According to Masewan’s concocted tale, one of the men attempted to snatch his sling bag as they walked past him.
Alarmed by the seemingly dangerous situation relayed by Masewan, his friend rushed to meet him and promptly called the police. Responding to the distress call, police officers arrived at the scene, ready to investigate the reported snatch theft.
Unraveling the Prank
During the police interview, Masewan maintained his false narrative of the snatch theft. However, inconsistencies began to emerge as he changed details, suggesting that the incident had occurred two weeks prior.
After two or three hours of perpetuating the false story, Masewan eventually admitted to the police officers that the entire incident was a prank, fabricated out of boredom.
Legal Consequences
Masewan Edi found himself facing legal repercussions as he pleaded guilty to one count of giving false information to a public servant. The court sentenced him to 12 days’ jail, with another similar charge taken into consideration for sentencing.
The ramifications of Masewan’s prank extended beyond legal consequences. A total of 14 police officers, including ground response officers, investigation officers, strike force officers, and a TransCom officer, were activated for what turned out to be a baseless case.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Melissa Heng revealed that Masewan shared that he had consumed some alcohol before initiating the prank. The motive behind the false story was simply an attempt to prank his friend, driven by boredom.