KOTA KINABALU: Police are still investigating the claim of a farmer who said he spotted five heavily-armed men at a plantation in Lahad Datu.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Ramli Din said that a team had gone to the area to conduct a probe, but found no threat.
Casting doubt on the 52-year-old complainant’s claim, Ramli said it is absurd that he only lodged a police report two weeks after the incident which he said took place on April 30.
The farmer had also reported that two of the five men spoke to him in Tagalog and that 37 others had landed on the beach in a bid to “save the people of Sabah.”
"This is not the first time we have received such a report. Two months ago, we had to rush our personnel to a location, only to find out the report was made by someone who was drunk.
“This is not a joke... do not play around with things like this, as we can arrest and charge an individual for making false reports, especially ones that can cause panic among the people,” Ramli said, adding that police will continue to investigate and monitor the situation.
Ramli spoke to reporters after opening the two-day Tilawah Al-Quran competition in conjunction with the 210th Police Day celebration at the state police headquarters here.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) had cordoned off the plantation area in Felda Sahabat 2, about 100km from Lahad Datu town, where the farmer claimed to have seen the heavily-armed men.
The measures were taken to prevent civilians from entering the area and to verify the report.