Two persons found dead in separate incidents
By Sok Hwee & Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 01 July 2007 2119 hrs

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SINGAPORE: Two persons were found dead on Sunday morning - an Indian-Muslim woman at the foot of a block in Stirling Road and a man outside his own flat in Whampoa Drive.

Gory footprints were found in and out of the lift at Block 181 in Stirling Road.

There were also blood stains on the first, second, 12th and 13th storeys of the same block.

Smael Meeral, an Indian woman in her early 30s, was found dead with multiple injuries at the bottom of the block.

She had apparently gone up and down the block by lift and on foot, before collapsing on the ground floor.

Police received a call from a member of the public at about 4.40am and the lady was pronounced dead at 5am.

Speculation is rife among the residents that the attractive woman, rumoured to be pregnant, might have been trying to escape from her assailant.

One resident said: "I saw a tooth on the ground floor and lots of blood stains. The woman's fists were tightly clenched. Her left leg was twisted and flipped over her face.. like she had fallen from a great height."

Another resident said: "I didn't hear anything, but a resident from the second floor said he heard screams. When he opened the door, he saw someone running over from the bus stop."

Police sealed off the area at the Queenstown MRT bus stop opposite the block and recovered a beer bottle.

In a starkly similar case, police received a second phone call some three hours later, at about 7.45am.

Residents at Block 74 in Whampoa Drive said a Malay man was found lying face up outside his flat on the 16th floor.

He was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and white shoes.

There were blood stains on the staircase from the 15th to the 16th floor.

The man, who was in his late twenties, has been identified as Manap Sarlip.

He had a few puncture wounds in his upper body.

Manap's wife was said to be sleeping in the flat at that time and neighbours said they did not hear any commotion.

Police have not ruled out foul play and are investigating the cases. Those with information can contact them at 1800-255-0000.


- CNA/so