S'porean found dead in house in Batam

A 59-year-old Singaporean was found dead in the house he was renting in Batam, the island's police said on Wednesday.

Mr Kua Teck Cheong ran a business trading clothes and second-hand goods, his family members told The Straits Times, and would leave for Batam almost every other Friday, spending two to three days there each time.

When he left home last Friday and did not return by Monday, his wife started to panic and went to Batam on Tuesday, only to find out he had died.

Mr Kua's neighbours at the Anggrek Sari complex told reporters they suspected something was amiss when they detected a foul odour and realised the lights had been switched on for several days.

The neighbours broke in on Monday night and called the police after they found the living room in a mess and Mr Kua's body slumped on the floor.

The neighbours said he was wearing a wig, and had suffered severe facial injuries.

"He was unrecognisable," neighbourhood watch head Johan Howan said. He said Mr Kua had been living in the estate for some time, but added that they hardly knew him.

Batam City police chief Suherman Zein said his officers had yet to determine the cause of death, and had to verify Mr Kua's identity through a DNA test.

Test results were confirmed on Wednesday, and two of his sisters are in Batam to make arrangements to repatriate his body.

Mr Kua was married with two children, a son who is taking his A levels and a daughter in university.

When a team from The Straits Times visited his parents' Toa Payoh flat, his younger brother, who did not want to be named, said their father, 93, and mother, 86, were distraught.

Mr Kua had a history of high blood pressure, his brother said.

zakirh@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Lim Yan Liang

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