Spate of unrelated deaths in Singapore raises alarm

Shin Min Daily News reported on Aug 4 that a 42-year-old woman was found dead in the Chinese Garden in Jurong. It said that the woman is believed to be an Indian national. The newspaper further said that her body was placed on a grass patch and covered by a police tent.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that her body, was found floating in the water near the shore, and that it manually retrieved it. SCDF was alerted about the dead woman at about 1.50pm on that day. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police identified the body a few hours later and are investigating the unnatural death.

In an unrelated incident, a man was found dead in a toilet at Haig Road Market and Food Centre on Sunday evening (July 31). The online news site STOMP identified the man as a 34-year-old man.

Police found the man lying motionless in the toilet. They were alerted to the incident at about 5.24pm on that day. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

In yet another unrelated but high profile case, a 58-year-old woman and her daughter were accused of murdering their Myanmar maid. The woman and her 36-year-old daughter are accused of killing Ms Piang Ngaih Don, a 24-year-old mother of a young child.

The daughter, Gaiyathiri Murugayan,  is believed to be the wife of an ex-policeman. Both Gaiyathiri and her mother, Prema Naraynasamy, allegedly killed the maid in a ninth-floor flat at Block 145 in Bishan some time between July 25 and 26.

Police said that they received a call on 26 Jul at about 11am for assistance. They found Ms Piang motionless when they arrived. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

These three deaths add to the list of unnatural deaths and / or alleged murders which happened in the month of July and early August (https://theindependent.sg.sg/four-unnatural-deaths-in-just-a-few-days).

One Facebook user Tong Bn who responding to one of our reports of such deaths said: “What is happening in this once peaceful country? Seems our safety and security claim to fame is going up in smoke. Any of our first world leaders interested?”

But another reassured him saying there is no cause for alarm as they are all unrelated.

Fadly Azad: “Relax people. Singapore is still safe. Those murders are not random. Not dond by serial killers. Most murders in Singapore are committed by people who knew their victims. Probably due to disputes or misunderstandings. Nothing to worry about.”