SANDAKAN: Two women, fearing their husbands would scold them for pawning their mobile phones to buy makeup, filed false robbery reports.
The housewives, aged 20 and 34, claimed they were robbed at knifepoint by three men in the city centre around 7pm yesterday.
Sandakan District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Fuad Abdul Malek, said the police received the report at midnight after the two suspects, who are friends, claimed to have been victims of a robbery.
"In their report, the women alleged that their two mobile phones and RM136 in cash were taken by three knife-wielding suspects.
"However, based on the information and investigations, police found their statements inconsistent and suspicious.
"Further investigation revealed that the alleged robbery did not occur. Instead, they had pawned their mobile phones at a pawnshop," he said in a press statement today.
Abdul Fuad said that the two suspects acted out of desperation to buy cosmetic products but were afraid of their husbands' reaction.
"The two women were detained and will be investigated under Section 182 of the Penal Code for giving false information.
"The public is advised not to act in such a manner. If found guilty under this section, one can face a six-month prison sentence, a RM2,000 fine, or both," he added.