Picking up the trail of a suspect after a relationship gone wrong resulted in the death of a young woman.
By: Edwin Lim
Hello, Hello?
When Mr Chai returned to his Circuit Road flat on the night of 22 March 2016, he spotted a figure under a blanket on the bed of his tenant’s room. Not suspecting that anything was out of place, Mr Chai left the flat for dinner.
Mr Chai returned later that evening and discovered that the figure was still on the bed. Sensing that something was amiss, he knocked on the door and called out “Hello, hello?”
When there was no response, Mr Chai entered the room and pulled back the blanket. He was shocked by the sight that greeted him – a woman lay lifeless on the bed.
Putting Two and Two Together
Police first responders and paramedics soon arrived on the scene, and the woman was pronounced dead by the paramedics. Investigators from CID’s Special Investigation Section (SIS) scoured the room for leads and found a discarded receipt for purchases from a supermarket.
Forensic pathologists from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) also examined the body and found injuries around the neck that were consistent with strangulation. A subsequent autopsy confirmed that death was caused by manual compression of the victim’s neck.
Investigators interviewed Mr Chai and found that the room was rented out to a 51-year-old Malaysian man named Boh Soon Ho. Mr Chai added that he knew the victim as Boh had brought her back to the unit on a few occasions.
Mr Chai also revealed to investigators that Boh told him that he was returning to Malaysia for business for a few days. Investigators swiftly retrieved video footage from the Police Cameras (PolCams) in the area, which captured Boh leaving the block with a luggage bag at about 11:20am on 22 March 2016.
A Call from Across the Border
As investigators were busy putting the pieces of the case together, Mr Chai received a missed call from overseas on his mobile phone. Not recognising the number, he sent a text to the number to verify the caller’s identity.
An hour later, the same number called Mr Chai again. He answered and heard Boh’s voice.
Boh informed Mr Chai that he’d strangled the victim and left for Malaysia. The call then abruptly ended.
Mr Chai quickly updated the investigators, and over the next few days, Mr Chai would continue to communicate with Boh through phone calls and text exchanges under their supervision.
Brought to Justice
Armed with information about Boh’s whereabouts, the investigators contacted their counterparts at the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) for assistance. Officers from the RMP successfully arrested Boh on 4 April 2016 in Malacca, with SIS investigators taking custody of him the following day.
Boh told the investigators that he became furious when he saw the victim leaving her home with an unknown man. Although Boh and the victim didn’t have a romantic relationship, he felt that she was cheating on him. Boh also admitted to stalking the victim under the guise of visiting a supermarket near her residence.
Things turned violent when Boh invited the victim over to his flat for lunch on 21 March 2016. He questioned her about the man he’d seen her with. Enraged by the victim’s response, Boh had taken a bath towel and wrapped it around the victim’s neck, strangling her. Boh then fled to Malaysia.
On 7 February 2020, Boh Soon Ho was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Working tirelessly round the clock, SIS investigators conducted extensive ground investigations and worked closely with the HSA and RMP to bring the murderer to justice.
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