Public servant arrested over leak of police look-out message
A 37-year-old public servant has been arrested for allegedly leaking a police look-out message that identified the suspect of the Tampines stabbing incident last Wednesday.
He is suspected of wrongful communication of information under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), the police said yesterday.
The man, who is from another government agency, received the look-out message when the police sent it to various law enforcement agencies at around 7.30am last Wednesday after establishing the identity of the suspect in the stabbing.
The message included the police report number, the suspect's name, picture, date of birth and nationality. It also included an image taken from a security camera showing a person believed to be the suspect.
The man allegedly took a photograph of the message and shared it via WhatsApp with his friend, a 60-year-old man, who was not authorised to receive the classified information.
The message was then disseminated by the friend to other unauthorised recipients, which led to wider circulation.
The police said investigations are ongoing, adding: "The Government takes a serious view of any wrongful communication of confidential information and will deal firmly with anyone who does so."
The offence carries a fine of up to $2,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.
Unauthorised recipients who circulate the confidential information may be similarly liable under the OSA.
Ms Iris Ting Su Yin, 42, was found at a Tampines void deck covered in blood with slash wounds on her neck last Wednesday. The mother of three died shortly after being taken unconscious to the hospital.
Hours after she was found, Ng Chee Kok, her husband since June 2000, was found at the foot of a block in Punggol.
Ng, 45, who is believed to have assaulted Ms Ting, died after he was taken to hospital.
Their marriage is understood to have turned sour in recent years, with Ms Ting moving out of their matrimonial home in Punggol.
This article was first published in The Straits Times
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