The rape in Lija that was reported to the police on Thursday was a fabrication on the part of the alleged victim, the police said yesterday.

In a statement, the police said the story had been made up. A 29-year-old woman had told police that while she was walking in Robert Sammut Street in Lija at .30am on Thursday, she had been assaulted by a man who dragged her into a van and raped her.

The police had also said that the woman had been admitted to hospital for treatment but investigations revealed that she had fabricated the whole story.

The police will now probably take criminal action against the woman for filing a false report and reporting a crime that never took place. Investigations into the matter are still under way.