A knife attack leaves a man with fatal wounds… Here’s how officers brought his murderer to justice!
By: Edwin Lim
In this edition of Crime Files, we find out how dedicated officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) cracked the case of a murder in Geylang and brought the accused to justice.
Hello, Police?
The early morning calm of 9 July 2016 was punctuated by the blaring sirens of emergency service vehicles. They were responding to a call for assistance for a man lying motionless in a pool of blood by the side of a road. Police had received the call just before 8 am from a motorist who was driving down Lorong 23 Geylang.
Police first responders were greeted by a bloody sight and quickly cordoned off the scene as paramedics tried to resuscitate the man. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful and pronounced the man dead at 8:11am.
Putting Two and Two Together
CID investigators sprang into action. At the scene, they found a bloodied knife sheathed in a clear plastic cover near the right side of the victim. A wooden stick was also found lying near the left leg of the victim. There were also several slash wounds on the body.
Meticulous Police work swiftly led to a breakthrough. From eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage from the vicinity, investigators discovered that the victim had two altercations with a man sporting long hair earlier in the day.
The first incident occurred when the long-haired man approached the victim to ask if he was selling drugs. Angered by the question, the victim hurled vulgarities at the man, and a fight broke out between the two. The altercation ended quickly and both men left in different directions.
However, the victim was injured during the fight and went to a nearby shop at Aljunied Road to clean himself up. At this time, the long-haired man was captured on CCTV at a budget shop at Lorong 25 Geylang. He was observed to have bought a knife from the shop.
The long-haired man was then seen returning to Lorong 23 Geylang, where he spotted the victim. The long-haired man rushed towards the victim, and the second altercation occurred. During the fight, the long-haired man used a knife to slash the victim multiple times on his body and face.
At this point, the caller spotted the altercation and shouted at both men. The long-haired man then dropped his knife and fled in the direction of Lorong 21 Geylang.
The victim struggled to find his footing and finally lay down by the kerb, his life slipping away. He’d sustained multiple cuts and an autopsy later determined that he’d bled to death from a stab wound to his right upper arm.
To Catch a Killer
With the assistance of officers from Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre, investigators were able to identify the long-haired man as 64-year-old Toh Sia Guan. A rag-and-bone man, he was a known character in the Geylang area.
Investigators immediately issued an islandwide alert to find Toh. Their efforts paid off 12 days later when he was spotted in the vicinity of Labrador Park MRT Station. Toh was identified and arrested even though he’d shaved off his long hair and moustache to evade detection.
Toh was charged in court soon after his arrest. On 2 March 2020, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Investigators were able to ascertain his involvement in the crime by working round the clock and trawling through more than 72 hours of CCTV footage. They also processed over 80 pieces of evidence gathered from the crime scene.
More than 80 officers (including Crime Strike Force officers from Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre and Forensics experts from the Health Sciences Authority) were also involved in the investigations to bring the accused to justice.
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