SINGAPORE - A 19-year-old student of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is being investigated for providing the police with false information after they were alerted to a case of an alleged assault.

In a statement on Sunday (Dec 15), the police said that investigations subsequently revealed that the student had provided false information to the police and the alleged assault did not occur.

"The police are investigating her for providing false information," the statement said.

"The police would like to urge members of the public to refrain from commenting or speculating on the case so as to avoid causing unnecessary alarm."

An NTU spokesman said that the university is assisting with police investigations.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, he said: "Police were at the NTU campus yesterday night following allegation of an assault on a female NTU student on campus.

"We would like to assure the NTU community that there is no cause for concern about their safety on campus. The university is reaching out to affected students to provide them with the necessary care and support from the university’s pastoral care team," he added.

Earlier, the students' union had urged those on campus to stay indoors after what they understood to be a reported case of assault.

In an Instagram story posted by the NTU Student's Union page at about 2am on Sunday, the union said: "NTUSU understands that there has been a recent reported case of assault that happened on campus. Those that were involved are currently aiding the police on their ongoing investigation.



An Instagram story posted by the NTU Student's Union page on Dec 15, 2019. PHOTOS: NTU.SU/INSTAGRAM



"For your own safety and to better aid the ongoing investigations, we urge everyone who is currently in NTU to stay indoors," the post read.

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Students were also urged to "look out for one another" and dial campus security or the police if they saw anything suspicious.

At 11am, the NTU student’s union posted another story update on their Instagram page informing students that on Saturday evening they "received news about a possible case of assault within the campus".

"The Union took immediate action and contacted the student affairs office and office of student life - who confirmed the report".

"We subsequently released statements on our Union channels and through our constituent bodies," the union said.

“We are relieved to share that any incident of assault did not take place and all students are safe," it added.

It urged students to take measures to confirm the reliability of sources since “speculation and spreading of fake news can hold serious repercussions".