A man who knowingly gave false information to a police officer by claiming he had been robbed has been handed a 12-month prison sentence.
Magistrate Namrata Mishra ordered that Rizwan Ali serve six months in jail, with the remaining six months suspended for three years, for the offence of giving false information to a public servant.
Court records show that on March 18 this year, an officer was called into the Ba Police Station after a complaint was made about Ali, who had lodged a false report at the Raviravi Police Post on January 3.
Ali had claimed that two Fijian men of Indian descent approached and assaulted him and stole $2900 in fish-sale money while he was selling fish by the roadside at Raviravi.
On March 18, 2025, Imran Ali informed police that Ali had admitted to him that the report was false and he had lied to take the proceeds of the fish sales.
Ms Mishra noted the seriousness of the offence, saying that giving false information undermines the justice system by misdirecting police resources and risking harm to innocent people.
In her October 3 ruling, she said a fully suspended sentence was not warranted, noting that the Court cannot condone actions that divert police resources from genuine matters needing investigation.
