Man, 25, charged with murder of fellow Singaporean in Johor

JOHOR BAHRU: A 25-year-old Singaporean man has been charged in a Johor court with the murder of another Singaporean in the Malaysian state. 

Muhammad Arif Saiyadi, a store supervisor, is believed to be among six suspects including a woman, who were arrested over the alleged murder of Singaporean Chia Hon Chung, 32, near a nightclub in the Southkey commercial district earlier this month.

Malaysian media previously reported that a 32-year-old foreign man had been attacked with a sharp weapon on Mar 14 - and was later confirmed dead after being taken to Sultan Ismail Hospital with a stab wound on his neck. 

Arif was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for allegedly murdering Chia and was not represented at the Johor Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (Mar 31). 

He nodded after charges were read, local media reports said. 

No plea was recorded and the motive for the murder was still under investigation, the reports added. 

He faces the death penalty or life imprisonment of up to 40 years - with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death upon conviction.

The court has set Jun 3 for case mention - pending the autopsy report, chemical analysis and DNA results. 

SUSPECTS’ ARRESTS  

The first suspect was apprehended by officers from the Johor Bahru South district police headquarters on Mar 18 - while attempting to clear immigration checks into Singapore.

Four more suspects were arrested on Mar 19 in Singapore with help from Singapore authorities, said Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad.

A sixth suspect was later arrested on Mar 25. 

It is unclear when Arif was arrested. 

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) have confirmed the arrests of four suspects during simultaneous operations on Mar 19 - following arrest warrants issued by Malaysian authorities. 

Arrests were carried out at a residential unit along Teban Gardens Road, SPF said.

The suspects were then handed over to Malaysian authorities on the same day.