Whoever, intending to facilitate or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby facilitate the commission of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life, voluntarily conceals, by any act or illegal omission or by the use of encryption or any other information hiding tool, the existence of a design to commit such offence or makes any representation which he knows to be false respecting such design,—
- if the offence be committed, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years;
- if the offence be not committed, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years,
and in either case shall also be liable to fine.