He helped friend dispose of wife's body

He agreed to help his friend move a suitcase, assuming that it contained personal belongings, supposedly to the latter's new home.

But forklift driver Gursharan Singh, 27, smelled a rat when he noticed that it was far too heavy to contain just clothes.

He pressed senior logistic coordinator Harvinder Singh (above), 35, for the truth and received a chilling reply - the black canvas suitcase contained the remains of his Harvinder Singh's wife, 33-year-old beautician Jasvinder Kaur.

Instead of informing the police, he still helped Harvinder Singh dispose of the body.

Gursharan Singh, who was not represented by a lawyer, pleaded guilty in court yesterday to one count each of causing evidence of a crime to disappear and failing to inform the police that an offence had taken place.

Around 7am on Dec 11, 2013, Harvinder Singh went to look for Gursharan Singh at the Central Sikh Temple at Towner Road, off Serangoon Road, and asked for his help to move some of his belongings.

The forklift driver agreed to do so and Harvinder Singh returned to the temple around 11.30pm with a suitcase.

The Indian nationals went to Harvinder Singh's room on the second storey of a shophouse at 228A Balestier Road. (See 1 on map at right.)

Gursharan Singh declined his friend's request to help him pack and waited at the first storey.

About 30 minutes later, the men left the shophouse with the suitcase and walked towards Thomson Road (2 on map).

Harvinder Singh then said that his new place was near the Central Sikh Temple and they went there before heading to Whampoa Drive.

A wheel on the suitcase broke as they approached a pedestrian overhead crossing leading to Towner Road (3 on map).

Gursharan Singh helped his friend with the suitcase and noticed that it was very heavy.

He asked Harvinder Singh about its contents as they walked up to the crossing and was shocked to learn that it contained Madam Kaur's body.

FIGHT

Harvinder Singh said that he had a fight with her that morning. He punched her once on the neck, rendering her unconscious and she fell on a bed.

Thinking that she was just unconscious, he left the room.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Prakash Otharam told the court: "When he came back... much later that same day, (she) was still lying unconscious on the bed.

"Harvinder informed (Gursharan Singh) that he placed (her) inside the bag and wanted to dispose of the body so that no one will know what he had done to her."

Gursharan Singh agreed to continue helping his friend with the suitcase and they pushed it towards the main gate of Hong Wen Primary School (4 on map).

They then carried the suitcase down May Road (5 on map).

When they reached Whampoa River near Block 110 McNair Road, Harvinder Singh asked his friend to lift the suitcase on to his shoulders before telling him to walk away (6 on map). Gursharan Singh did as he was told and crossed a bridge that links May Road to St George's Lane. He then heard a splash behind him (7 on map).

He received a call from Harvinder Singh at around 6.30am the next day, informing him that he was fleeing to Malaysia.

An hour later, a passer-by, known only as Mr Koh, spotted Madam Kaur's body in the river and informed the police. Officers arrived at the scene and found her mutilated body. Madam Kaur had been decapitated. Her head and hands are still missing.

Gursharan Singh received another call from Harvinder Singh about 12 hours later from Malaysia and that was the last time they spoke.

Investigations revealed that Harvinder Singh had left Singapore at about 7am that day.

He is now on the Interpol wanted list.

The police arrested Gursharan Singh six days later at Pan-I Complex at Sims Drive. He was originally charged with Madam Kaur's murder on Dec 20, 2013.

However, he was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on the murder charge on Feb 27, and charged with his current offences.

His case has been adjourned to April 1.

This article was first published on March 27, 2015.
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