SINGAPORE — A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder following the death of a 29-year-old man in Singapore’s Tuas industrial district, with court documents alleging that the victim was attacked with a chopper late on Saturday night.
Muruganathan Kathirvel, an Indian national, was charged on Monday, August 31, over the death of 29-year-old Raj Maheshkumar. According to the charge reported by CNA and The Straits Times, Muruganathan allegedly caused Raj’s death by attacking his neck area with a chopper at about 10pm on August 29 along Tuas South Avenue 9.
The case began unfolding shortly after 10pm that night.
Singapore police said officers received a call for assistance at about 10.10pm along Tuas South Street 15 towards Tuas South Avenue 14. When officers arrived, they found a 29-year-old man lying motionless on the road. A Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic subsequently pronounced him dead at the scene.
Suspect arrested within four hours
Police moved quickly following the discovery.
The 25-year-old suspect was arrested within four hours of the report, according to the Singapore Police Force. Preliminary investigations also established that the accused and the victim knew each other, although authorities have not publicly disclosed the nature of their relationship.
The Straits Times reported that the charge sheet itself did not explain how the two men were connected. That leaves one of the biggest unanswered questions surrounding the case — what happened between the two men before the alleged attack?
AsiaOne noted that the area where the victim was discovered is part of Tuas’ heavily industrialised south-western zone, with relatively little activity compared with Singapore’s residential districts and several industrial facilities in the vicinity.
Accused remanded as investigations continue
Muruganathan appeared in court by video link on August 31. Prosecutors requested that he be remanded for one week, and The Straits Times reported that the case is scheduled to return to court on September 7.
Police investigations are continuing.
Muruganathan was charged under Section 302(1) of Singapore’s Penal Code, according to the Singapore Police Force. Under Singapore law, Section 302(1) provides the death penalty for murder falling within Section 300(a), which concerns an act committed with the intention of causing death.
The charge is an allegation and has not been proven in court. Muruganathan remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until convicted.
For now, investigators and the courts will have to establish what led to the confrontation, the precise circumstances surrounding Raj Maheshkumar’s death and why the two men were together in Tuas that Saturday night.
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