Police duty-bound to act when reports are lodged

We refer to Ms Matilda Gabrielpillai’s letter “Case of actor quizzed by cops raises questions” (June 6).

When a report is lodged, the police have to ascertain whether any criminal offence has been disclosed. This may involve interviews with relevant parties to establish the facts.

In this case, Mr Shrey Bhargava and the complainant were interviewed. Based on the facts obtained, it was assessed that no criminal offence was disclosed. So the police will not investigate the case further.

Ms Gabrielpillai asked about the consequences of wrongful lodging of reports.

Under the Penal Code, anyone convicted of giving a public servant false information knowingly, and with the intent to cause harm to anyone, shall be imprisoned up to a year or punished with a fine that may extend to $5,000 or both.