A woman was recently sentenced to five days in jail for falsely reporting a phone snatching incident to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), resulting in a significant waste of public resources.Lee Yi-Ching, 36, lied to the SPF about her phone being stolen in August 2023, which led to the activation of 15 fast response cars and a two-hour manhunt. The prosecution stated that Lee had maintained her false narrative for over 16 hours, causing unnecessary inconvenience to her boyfriend, who was questioned by the police.The incident began when Lee and her boyfriend were at a pub in Sembawang on August 24, 2023. After leaving the pub at around 9 pm, they got into a van, and Lee dropped her phone while quarreling with her boyfriend. When her boyfriend attempted to return the phone, Lee refused to take it and screamed at him. He decided to return it to her the next day.Despite being aware that her boyfriend had her phone, Lee went to the Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre and filed a report stating that an unknown man had snatched her phone at Lorong 32 Geylang. The police reviewed CCTV footage that showed her getting out of a van with a man before quarreling with him. However, when they questioned her boyfriend, he revealed that he had kept the phone as Lee had refused to take it back from him.Lee eventually confessed to her lie later on the same day, stating that she was upset with her boyfriend but that he had not snatched or stolen her phone. The prosecution argued that her actions had resulted in a significant waste of public resources and had caused her boyfriend to be inconvenienced by the police investigation.The court sentenced Lee to five days in jail for providing false information to a public servant. The maximum penalty for this offense is two years in prison and a fine.This case highlights the importance of honesty and the potential consequences of providing false information to the authorities. The significant resources that were wasted in this case could have been used for more critical matters, highlighting the impact that one person’s lie can have on the larger community.