Man who murdered lover wrote of his intent

A construction worker who took his own life after slashing his Indonesian lover in a hotel room in Geylang had harboured thoughts of killing her for cheating on him.

Ms Ruli Widyawati, a 28-year-old maid, was found dead with her throat slashed, along with multiple cuts on her left arm, wrist and chest, in a room at Hotel 81 Palace in Lorong 16 on Feb 1 this year.

The body of Indian national Chinnasamy Baskar, 30, was discovered hanging in the toilet.

At an inquest into their deaths yesterday, it was revealed that Chinnasamy had written two notes, found in his sling bag, stating that he would kill her.

He also said in the note that Ms Ruli, a mother of two, had a "bf" (boyfriend). "I tell u u talk Alibaba I cut u finger one by one," he had written. His colleague understood "Alibaba" to mean that Chinnasamy was talking about cheating.

The court also heard how Chinnasamy had borrowed $1,000 from his supervisor and $200 from his colleague late last year.

The colleague had told him not to give so much money to Ms Ruli, but Chinnasamy said he loved her and would do anything for her.

Chinnasamy also told him that if he found out that Ms Ruli was cheating on him, he would kill her.

At 9.50am on Feb 1, Chinnasamy and Ms Ruli checked into the hotel. He had planned to stay through the night but as this was allowed only for bookings after 6pm, he paid $60 for six hours.

Later that morning, a cleaner who was working on the third floor heard a woman talking to a man and crying at the same time. The voices indicated that they were quarrelling. Between 3pm and 4pm, Chinnasamy came out and told the cleaner that he wished to extend his stay. She told him to go to the counter or call the reception. She also saw a red stain where Chinnasamy had stood.

At about 7.40pm, the hotel manager called the couple's room, but there was no reply.

When the manager opened the room with a master key, he encountered a gory sight. Blood was splattered all over.

Investigation officer Aliden Hamad testified that three empty beer cans were found at the scene. The inquest continues on Aug 20.

This article was first published on August 5, 2015.
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