Whoever, knowing or having reason to believe that an offence has been committed, causes any evidence of the commission of that offence to disappear with the intention of screening the offender from legal punishment, or with that intention gives any information respecting the offence which he knows or believes to be false, shall, if the offence which he knows or believes to have been committed is punishable with death, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine; and if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to 20 years, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 7 years, and shall also be liable to fine, and if the offence is punishable with imprisonment for any term not extending to 20 years, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one-fourth part of the longest term of the imprisonment provided for the offence, or with fine, or with both.