Kovan double murder: So angry I didn't catch killer
PUBLISHED ONJuly 15, 2013 12:00 AM
SINGAPORE - Mr Raheem Samad, 36, had no idea what was going on, but all he could think about was catching up with the car and getting the driver to stop.
But his orange KTM motorcycle was having difficulty squeezing through the narrow gaps in the mid-afternoon traffic along Upper Serangoon Road on Wednesday.
"My bike handles were too wide to make it through without hitting the side mirrors of the surrounding vehicles, which were also honking at the car," he said.
"The Camry was moving fast and it was swerving from lane to lane. I tried my best to do the same, but it was very dangerous so I had to watch out for my own safety."
The closest he managed to get to his target was two to three car lengths away.
As the car approached Kovan MRT station, about 800m later, the body got dislodged and tumbled in front of a taxi stand.
Without a second thought, Mr Raheem braked and used his scrambler to shield the body from approaching traffic.
My priority was to protect the body. I didn't think about the car that had been dragging it, he told The New Paper yesterday.
The Camry sped off into the distance, he said.
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"My first thought was to cover the semi-naked body as the clothes were badly torn."
With the help of a lorry driver and a van driver who provided a dark green sheet, Mr Raheem covered the body before he called the police.
When the police arrived, they and Mr Raheem followed the blood trail, which led to a house at 14J, Hillside Drive. It was then that he learnt that another man had been killed there.
It dawned on Mr Raheem that he could have inadvertently become involved in a case of double murders.
Not given up chase
"Had I known the driver was responsible for two deaths, I would not have given up the chase," he said.
"And if I had caught up with him - which I was confident of doing - I would have pulled him out of the car and whacked him.
"He has no sense of humanity. It's impossible that he didn't know he was dragging a body when every vehicle on the road was honking at him," said Mr Raheem.
"I am angry with myself that I did not continue to chase and catch him."
The Toyota Camry was found abandoned in a Eunos industrial estate on Thursday.
It belonged to Mr Tan Boon Sin, 67, whose body was found in his home at Hillside Drive. The other victim who was dragged by the car was his elder son, Mr Tan Chee Heong, 42.
The police are now hunting for the driver, who is believed to be behind the murders.
Mr Raheem said he had just finished his prayers and was outside Haji Yusoff Mosque on Upper Serangoon Road when his friend started yelling and pointing at a silver Camry zooming past while dragging a body, which was visible from the shoulders down.
He said he caught a glimpse of the driver, who looked like a Chinese man in his 40s.
"Immediately, I started shouting at the car and ran after it with my friend," Mr Raheem said.
They were joined by a passer-by and gave chase on foot till the entrance of The Girls' Brigade Headquarters, before Mr Raheem decided to sprint 50m back to his motorbike so he could pursue the car.
Mr Raheem, who works as a driver for an educational institution, said: "I wasn't scared and it was my instincts that told me to go after the car."
He said he has 'a few years of riding experience' and spends about five hours driving every day, so "I'm confident and familiar with the roads."
"The main thing on my mind when I got on my bike was to try to get the driver to stop and let go of the body."
"But I knew by then the victim was gone as he wasn't moving other than the occasional jerk when the car hit a bump on the road."
"I hope they catch the driver soon because this must be really difficult and tragic for the family. He needs to be brought to justice."
Mr Raheem was also quick to play down his selfless act.
"Everyone who helped out is a hero, including the lorry and van drivers at Kovan MRT station and the other drivers who tried to stop the fleeing car.
"I didn't tell my friends about it, it's nothing worth bragging about. I wasn't in it for fame, just to help someone," he said.
His colleagues told TNP that he is an honest, friendly and responsible man.
Mr Raheem said: "I did this to help someone, even though it wasn't my loved one.
"I just hope if something like this ever happens to me, there'll be someone who'd do the same."
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