Two more to be charged for Pearls Centre murder

SINGAPORE - Police have arrested two more suspects, aged 20 and 22, in connection with the murder of a 47-year-old man at Pearls Centre on Sep 7.

With the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP), the suspects were arrested in Malaysia and extradited back to Singapore on Sep 9, said the Singapore Police Force in a press statement on Wednesday.

The two suspects will be charged in Court 26 at 9.00am on Sep 11 for the offence of Murder with Common Intention.

Sunder Rangasamy, 27, and Thiagu Muniandy, 23, were charged earlier this week for the alleged murder.

The SPF thanked the RMP, in particular their Criminal Investigation Department and Johor State Police, for their support for this case.

According to reports, police were at the crime scene for over nine hours on Sep 7, after receiving a report about the body at 1.16pm.

The body was found on the 11th storey of the building along Eu Tong Sen Street. Paramedics who arrived at the scene pronounced the man dead.

The victim was lying on the floor face-up when found and was surrounded by brown glass fragments, likely to be beer bottles, reported Lianhe Zaobao. According to The Straits Times, reddish-brown stains were also seen smeared on the wall.

The newspaper also noted that sections of the car park in the building above the seventh storey had been closed previously and no cars were allowed in. It is understood that the closed sections are not illuminated and are usually in pitch darkness at night.

As the building houses several night clubs and bars, there are frequently people who loiter and drink in the abandoned sections of the car park, said some people familiar with the place.

The 23-storey Pearls Centre houses the Yangtze Cinema, residential units, offices and shops. It will be making way for the new Thomson MRT line later this year.

natlim@sph.com.sg, klim@sph.com.sg