A Malaysian who was working in Singapore killed his boss but evaded arrest for 30 years, despite returning to Singapore on multiple occasions, due to a typographical error on his work permit.
The Malaysian, Arumugam Veerasamy, came to Singapore at the age of 28. He was employed as an odd-job worker by 43-year-old Muthiah Kitha Lingam, who promised to pay Arumugam a daily wage of S$45.
Muthiah, however, only paid Arumugam S$10 for a day’s work. Angry, Arumugam confronted Muthiah at his house and demanded that he pay the remaining unpaid wages amounting to about S$1,000.
Muthiah explained that he is unable to pay Arumugam since his own boss has yet to pay him. A fight ensued and Arumugam struck his boss on the chest and head multiple times with a hammer, before fleeing the house.
Muthiah suffered five fractures on his skull and chest, and eventually died after succumbing to his grave injuries. Unaware that Muthiah had died in the incident, Arumugam returned to Johor Bahru.
This incident occurred in 1986 and it took 30 years for the police to link Arumugam to Muthiah’s death.
It was only with fingerprint technology that the police zeroed in on Arumugam in 2006, even though Arumugam had entered and left Singapore on several occasions since 1986, all because Arumugam’s name was incorrectly spelled on his work permit.
Arumugam was finally arrested 40 years after the incident, in 2016, when he tried to enter Singapore through Woodlands checkpoint. At the age of 61, he was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.