Indonesian man charged with alleged murder of wife at South Bridge Road hotel

[UPDATE]

A 41-year-old man, an Indonesian national, was charged on Saturday (Oct 25) for allegedly killing a woman in a hotel in South Bridge Road, reported The Straits Times (ST).

The man, Salehuddin, is accused of murdering 38-year-old Indonesian Nurdia Rahmah Rery, who is believed to be his wife, at Capri by Fraser China Square on Friday.

He appeared in court via video link and had his charge read out to him in Bahasa by an interpreter.

During the proceedings, Salehuddin asked District Judge Tan Jen Tse if he could be prosecuted in Indonesia instead of Singapore, CNA reported.

In response, Judge Tan said that the case was still in its early stages and that he would not accept any applications at the moment.

Judge Tan also requested that Salehuddin be remanded for psychiatric observation at Changi Medical Complex for three weeks.

"I object, Your Honour. The punishment is a death sentence," said Salehuddin, according to ST.

If convicted of murder, Salehuddin will face the death penalty.

A woman was found dead in the room of a luxury hotel in Chinatown on Friday (Oct 24) morning.

In a media statement, the police said a 41-year-old man has been arrested for the alleged murder of the 38-year-old woman. The incident occurred at Capri by Fraser China Square, which is located along South Bridge Road.

The man and woman are believed to be foreigners staying at the hotel. They are reportedly a married couple from Indonesia, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

The police said the man had turned himself in for the murder of his wife at Bukit Merah East Neighbourhood Police Centre at 7.40am on Friday. 

Upon receiving the information, officers were dispatched to the hotel, where the 38-year-old woman was found lying motionless in a hotel room and subsequently pronounced dead at scene by paramedics.

She was reportedly stabbed with a weapon. AsiaOne understands that the incident took place on the 7th floor of the hotel. 

There was minimal police presence outside the hotel when AsiaOne arrived at about 11am. Three police vehicles were seen at the basement car park.

It was observed that operations at the hotel lobby continued as per usual. Hotel employees approached by AsiaOne declined to comment on the incident.

A hotel guest named David, who was staying on the 8th floor, said he and his partner did not know about the alleged murder.

"We didn't hear anything and we don't know there's [murder] here. The rooms are so isolated anyway. The hotel staff told us nothing," he told AsiaOne.

When asked if the incident affected him, he shook his head, as his partner shot him a grim glance.

Another tourist, Kiyo Asano, told AsiaOne that she was shocked by the incident.

"That's crazy. It was so quiet this morning. And I did not see any police cars earlier this morning," she added.

Frasers Hospitality, in response to queries from AsiaOne, said that they "are deeply saddened by the tragic incident".

"We are extending our full co-operation to authorities. Our thoughts are with the family of the individual affected, and we are offering support to guests and employees who may have been impacted during this difficult time," added a Frasers Hospitality spokesperson.

At around 1.40pm, officers from the Singapore Police Force's Crime Scene Forensics Team were seen loading the evidence in three brown paper bags into a van outside the hotel. They left 10 minutes later.

The man will be charged in court on Oct 25 with murder. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

Police investigations are ongoing.

[[nid:723075]]
lim.kewei@asiaone.com
chingshijie@asiaone.com