JOHOR BARU: Johor police have refuted reports that a Singaporean was mugged in Johor following the reopening of Malaysia's international borders last Friday.
State police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the claim, which had since made its rounds on Facebook and WhatsApp, alleged that a Singaporean was robbed and injured while in Johor.
The claim, he stressed, was false. Kamarul said subsequent checks showed that the video and image were of a 2014 incident.
"Federal police (Bukit Aman) had also previously issued a statement pertaining to this false news on Nov 2, last year.
"We view this as an attempt to generate fear and worry among the public, especially among Singaporean tourists.
"The act of creating and disseminating false information is a crime and can be acted upon under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
"The public are advised to not easily believe such claims, which are obtained from undetermined sources and clearly not based on facts," he said in a statement.
The claims on social media were accompanied by videos showing a group of men robbing two men on superbikes by the roadside.
One video also showed a pedestrian being robbed by two motorcyclists.
However, none of the videos were accompanied by descriptions of where the incidents allegedly took place.