A Malaysian court influenced a Singaporean influencer for having falsely affirmed that she had been almost kidnapped in a shopping center near the border of Malaysia with Singapore.
A post of beauty influencer Amyra Laila Ho became viral after having said that a couple had tried to remove it after having forced her to sniff tea leaves which left her a feeling of dizziness and numbness .
However, the police said that their surveys refuted their complaint, which has become viral and sparked security discussions in Johor Bahru.
Johor Bahru is at one end of the roadway of about a kilometer which connects the southern tip of Malaysia north of Singapore. Millions of people cross every day, making it one of the most popular border crossings in the world.
Ho pleaded guilty of having provided false information to a police officer and was sentenced to a fine of 1,000 ringgit ($ 228; £ 183), which she immediately paid, said the Singaporean and Malaysian media.
The post of Ho where she detailed the alleged attempt at abduction also seems to have been withdrawn from her Instagram account, which bears the name of Venus Ho.
She said that the abduction attempt had occurred after refusing to buy tea leaves from the couple.
She added that they then tried to remove it. The man held his arm and pretended to be her husband while the woman took her bag containing 400 ringgit.
She said her pretenders fled and pushed her to the ground when passers -by began to notice what was going on.
“Based on video surveillance recordings and technical evidence, no movement involving the victim has been detected on the spot,” said Mr. Kumar, Johor’s state police, who includes the city of Johor Bahru, to journalists.
Malaysian police said that after Ho had published on the alleged attempt to kidnap, “social media influencers also commented on the issue, creating it as a threat to the safety of tourists visiting Johor”.
Police added that strict measures would be taken against “anyone who deliberately propagates rumors or manipulates the facts to cause public anxiety, in particular concerning security problems”.
Johor Bahru is at one end of the roadway of about a kilometer which connects the southern tip of Malaysia north of neighboring Singapore.
About 300,000 commuters cross the road daily, according to the Singaporean media. Singapore and Malaysia have also recently appointed the region as a special economic zone, where they hope to attract more investments.
