Ang Qi Ying's business partner charged with her murder

SINGAPORE - A man who left Singapore after he allegedly killed a woman was charged with murder on Friday.

Caleb Joshua Chai Shanmugam, 50, is accused of killing Ms Ang Qi Ying, 27, in a ground floor unit at Block 2 Beach Road at around 7pm on Nov 9.

She was reportedly missing for days before being found in the shop on Sunday. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

A check with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority revealed the two were co-directors of renovation company Smart Click Services.

It is registered to an address at Peninsula Plaza and the two Singaporeans were listed as its directors from Oct 1, 2021.

The police said earlier they were alerted on Sunday to a case of unnatural death at the shop.

They said: “(The woman) was linked to a missing person report made on the evening of Nov 10 and the police had identified a 50-year-old man in connection to the case.”

The man left for Malaysia on Nov 10, so officers immediately sought the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police to locate him, the police added.

Chai was caught in Johor Bahru on Wednesday, and he was handed over to the Singapore police.

The Straits Times reported on Wednesday that Ms Ang had gone missing on Nov 9, prompting pleas from friends and family for information on her whereabouts.

[[nid:606028]]

Her last message was to her mother that day, stating that she would not be returning home.

Ms Ang’s loved ones later received news that she was found dead.

She was cremated at Mandai Crematorium on Tuesday, and a memorial service was held in Woodlands.

Chai is represented by lawyers Suang Wijaya and Sophia Ng from Eugene Thuraisingam law firm.

On Friday, Ms Ng told The Straits Times that their client was charged at Changi General Hospital with the murder, but she did not have information on why he was at the hospital.

The case has been adjourned to Nov 25.

Offenders convicted of murder will face the death penalty.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.