Kovan Double Murder thread

xebay11 · Oct 20, 2015

Re: How Kovan double muderer Iskandar executed his plan

Malays damn stupid, bankrupt, then bankrupt lah, not the end of the world. Now just because want to escape bankruptcy, he faces a death sentence, just like the other stupid Mat, steal cars cash card, now also face death sentence. Stupid to the max.

Poomer · Oct 20, 2015

Re: How Kovan double muderer Iskandar executed his plan

From hero to ...

babuSingh · Oct 20, 2015

Re: How Kovan double muderer Iskandar executed his plan

His wife left him and he lost his job and was bankrupt....he must be under immense stress to have restort to this...may peace be with him....

garlic · Oct 20, 2015

Re: How Kovan double muderer Iskandar executed his plan

All wouldn't have happened if he did not get married...

Prodigy · Oct 21, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder: Ex-cop seen in same car as older victim on day of murder, witness says

Iskandar Rahmat (right), who is standing trial for the murder of a father and son in Kovan on July 10, 2013. PHOTO: ST FILE

Published Oct 20, 2015, 9:40 am SGT
Lee Min Kok
Selina Lum
Jasmine Osada

SINGAPORE - Ex-cop Iskandar Rahmat and one of the men he is accused of killing were seen in the same car on the day of the murder, a witness said on Tuesday (Oct 20), the first day of the trial.

Taking the stand at the High Court in the late afternoon, the witness, Mr Hor Boon Long, told the court that he was in his black Audi at a Shell petrol station near the Certis Cisco Centre in Paya Lebar when car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin's silver Toyota Camry cut in ahead of him in a queue of cars exiting the petrol station to the road.

Mr Hor got out of his car and knocked on the door of Mr Tan's car, asking him why he cut the queue. Mr Tan apologised in English, saying sorry three times. The witness said that he saw Iskandar, a passenger in the car, staring at him.

The encounter took place shortly before the murder.

Iskandar, 36, is accused of the double murder of Mr Tan, 67, and his elder son Tan Chee Heong, 42, in Kovan on July 10, 2013.

According to earlier reports, the accused was believed to have been in touch with the elder Mr Tan on a regular basis after the latter made a police report about a case of theft from his safe deposit box at the Certis Cisco Centre in November 2012.

Iskandar had handled the initial report made by Mr Tan. Even though he was not the investigation officer of the case, he would call the victim every few weeks to update him on the theft, said earlier reports.

On Tuesday afternoon, the elder Mr Tan's wife, Madam Ong Ah Tang, also took the stand. Sounding emotional as she described her late husband, Madam Ong said that Mr Tan was a loving husband and was never violent, even when they quarrelled.

He was a man she could entrust her life to, she said.

The hearing, which ended at 5.30pm on Tuesday, has been adjourned to Thursday (Oct 22).

Earlier on Tuesday, Iskandar, clad in a standard issue beige prison jacket and sporting black-rimmed glasses, was escorted by guards into the courtroom at around 9.50am. He appeared calm, conferring with his lawyer briefly before taking his seat and glancing around the courtroom.

About 50 members of the public and at least 20 journalists were in attendance, with five family members of the victims - including the older Mr Tan's son and daughter - also present.

In his opening statement, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Lau Wing Yum said Iskandar had planned to rob the older Mr Tan as he was facing imminent bankruptcy and possible dismissal from the Singapore Police Force.

Iskandar was over $60,000 in debt, DPP Lau added, and OCBC Bank had filed a bankruptcy petition against him. He had been due to pay a $50,000 settlement on July 10, 2013, the date of the murders.

According to DPP Lau, Iskandar carried out a "ruthless attack" on the two men - the older Mr Tan suffered 20 knife wounds, while his son suffered at least 11.

Iskandar also "deliberately reversed" the older Mr Tan's Toyota Camry into his son.

The case, which sparked shock and disbelief among Singaporeans that an officer of the law had been implicated, has generated much public interest.

Iskandar's trial is scheduled over two tranches, with Justice Tay Yong Kwang is set to hear testimonies from over 100 witnesses.

The first tranche, which sees mainly witnesses of fact take the stand, is due to last till the end of October. The second tranche will involve forensic pathologists, psychiatrists and other experts, and will run from March 29 to April 8 next year.

Iskandar was charged under Section 300(a) of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death penalty. It is the most serious form of murder in which there is intention to cause death.

The elder Mr Tan had been found dead in his Hillside Drive terrace home on the afternoon of July 10.

The body of Mr Tan's eldest son, Chee Heong, 42, was dragged under the Toyota Camry for a distance before becoming dislodged near Kovan MRT station.

And even as the grisly details of the twin deaths emerged, a massive manhunt for their killer had already ensued.

Iskandar, then 34 and a senior staff sergeant attached to the Bedok Police Division, was nabbed at a popular restaurant in Johor Bahru, more than two days after the murder.

He has been remanded in custody ever since.

Prodigy · Oct 22, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan Double Murder Trial: Knife in case never recovered

Published
Oct 21, 2015, 11:19 am SGT

SINGAPORE - In Day 1 of the Kovan double murder trial, the prosecution laid out accused Iskandar Rahmat's motive and plan when he allegedly killed Mr Tan Boon Sin and his son Tan Chee Heong.

The defence in turn grilled the older Tan's widow on whether the knife used in the case could have been from her home.

spotter542 · Oct 22, 2015

Re: Brother Golden Dragon, any updates on Kovan murder?

Now they cannot find the murder weapon ?
Gotta grill the 102 witness also ?

Prodigy · Oct 23, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan Double Murder Trial: Accused went to Mecca

Published 22 October 2015

Accused Iskandar Rahmat's disciplinary officer took to the stand on the second day of the trial and told the court what led to Iskandar's charge of financial embarrassment.

Prodigy · Oct 23, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder: Ex-cop went on pilgrimage despite being heavily in debt

Kovan double murder suspect Iskandar Rahmat being brought to the Subordinate Court on July 15, 2013.PHOTO: ST FILE

Published Oct 22, 2015, 9:20 am SGT
Updated Oct 22, 2015, 2:44 pm
Lee Min Kok
Selina Lum

SINGAPORE - Former police officer Iskandar Rahmat, who had been facing imminent bankruptcy, went ahead on a haj pilgrimage to Mecca despite having unsecured debt more than three times his salary, the court heard on Thursday (Oct 22).

Deputy superintendent (DSP) Borhan Said, Iskandar's disciplinary officer, said Iskandar was first read the charge of financial embarrassment on April 15, 2013.

The consequences of being found guilty included a reduction in rank and stoppage of salary increment, among others, with DSP Borhan also raising the possibility of Iskandar's dismissal from the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

Iskandar, a 15-year SPF veteran, was holding the rank of Senior Staff Sergeant and had been attached to Bedok Police Division as an investigation officer.

Disciplinary proceedings were then adjourned to July 3, during which Iskandar told DSP Borhan that he had gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca. DSP Borhan subsequently advised him to get his priorities straight and that he should have used the money to repay his debts - he owed more than $60,000 to banks - instead.

DSP Borhan was one of two witnesses to take the stand on the second day of the high-profile murder trial.

Iskandar, 36, is accused by the prosecution of hatching a plot to rob car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67. His robbery attempt on July 10, 2013, in Mr Tan's Kovan home resulted in him stabbing Mr Tan and his elder son Tan Chee Heong, 42, multiple times with the intention to kill both.

The second witness to give evidence on Thursday was Mr Sherman Loh, a fishing buddy of the elder Mr Tan.

Mr Loh, who had lunch with Mr Tan a day before the murders, said his friend did not appear stressed. But when he called Mr Tan at about 3.30pm on July 10, the day of the murders, there was no answer. He later learnt from one of Mr Tan's employees that his friend had been killed.

A week later on July 17, he received a call from Mr Tan's younger son, Mr Tan Chee Wee, that the police needed his help to identify Mr Tan's fishing gear.

Among Mr Tan's fishing gear were three knives. The knife used by Iskandar was never recovered as he had thrown it into a canal along with his blood-stained clothes.

The grisly murder, which saw the younger Mr Tan's body dragged under a car before it was dislodged near Kovan MRT station, shocked Singaporeans.

Iskandar went on the run and was caught in a popular eatery in Johor Baru after a 54-hour manhunt.

He has been in remand ever since and was charged under section 300(a) of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death penalty.

The trial resumes next Monday (Oct 26).

Prodigy · Oct 28, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder trial: Accused applied for 'urgent leave' after stabbing father and son to death

Kovan double-murder suspect Iskandar Rahmat texted his superior officer in the police to apply for urgent leave, then messaged his superior again to say he had "run off" to Malaysia because of his financial problems and wanted to quit the force.PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM RAZORTV

Published 27.October 2015
Selina Lum

SINGAPORE - Just 2.5-hours after stabbing a father and son to death, Kovan double-murder suspect Iskandar Rahmat texted his superior officer in the police to apply for urgent leave.

Two days later, and an hour before being arrested at a popular Johor Baru eatery, senior staff sergeant Iskandar Rahmat again messaged his superior to say he had "run off" to Malaysia because of his financial problems and wanted to quit the force.

This was revealed on Tuesday (Oct 27) in Iskandar's trial, in which he has to answer charges that he murdered car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, and his 42-year-old son, Chee Heong, on July 10, 2013, during a bid to rob the former at his Hillside Drive terrace house.

Taking the stand on Tuesday was his superior, Senior Station Inspector Nurussufyan Ali, who heads an operations team of 35 at the Bedok Police Division. He told the High Court that he was "shocked" when he later learnt that his subordinate of six months had been arrested for murder.

"I did recall that there was an alert of a possible hit-and-run accident at Kovan, but I did not suspect at that point in time that it was a murder," he said .

Iskandar had fled the scene in the older man's silver Toyota Camry.

People driving along Upper Serangoon Road were shocked to see the body of the younger victim dragged under the car for a kilometre before it was dislodged outside the Kovan MRT station.

SSI Nurussufyan said the accused was posted to his team from the investigation branch in January 2013, when he came under scrutiny for chalking up debt more than three times his salary.

But Iskandar's performance was not affected by the investigations and disciplinary proceedings, he added. SSI Nurussufyan said he was a good worker, efficient and knowledgable.

Iskandar also seemed confident of clearing his debt, saying that he would get money from his cousin, he added.

The court has been told that no such cousin exists.

On the day of the killings, Iskandar was supposed to be on the night shift, but at 5.59pm, he asked for urgent leave to meet his cousin.

SSI Nurussufyan approved the request and told Iskandar to keep him updated.

At 10.17pm, Iskandar told him that he was "still talking". He fled to JB on his scooter at about 11pm.

At 8.49pm on July 12, Iskandar contacted his superior through WhatsApp and said he fled to Malaysia because he knew he would be made a bankrupt. Iskandar also wanted to resign from the force, despite attempts by SSI Nurussufyan to to talk him out of it.

Also taking the stand on Tuesday was forensic odontologist Tan Peng Hui, an expert on teeth marks.

Iskandar claims that the elder Mr Tan had attacked him with a knife and bit him during a struggle.

Dr Tan, who had examined Iskandar's left palm for bite marks the day after his arrest, categorically stated that the superficial injury on his hand was not a bite mark.

That prompted defence lawyer Shashi Nathan to suggest the possibility that the wound could have healed. But Dr Tan rejected this.

"Even with healing, you will see the formation of the scar, you will see physical evidence of teeth marks," Dr Tan said.

The trial, which continues on Wednesday (Oct 28), is expected to be over sooner than next year - when it was originally scheduled to run till.

This is because the defence is not disputing the testimonies of many of the prosecution witnesses, who no longer have to be called to the stand.

The court heard on Tuesday that the prosecution, which has so far called 15 witnesses, has just two more lined up.

Prodigy · Oct 28, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder trial: Forensic doctor rejects argument of self-defence

Published Oct 27, 2015, 5:00 am SGT

He points to 12 stab wounds to the neck and chest suffered by the older victim

Selina Lum

The older man in the Kovan double murder died from a slit throat, while his son died from a stab to the neck that damaged three major blood vessels, a forensic pathologist said yesterday.

Dr Gilbert Lau also rubbished the defence's contention that the man on trial for the two murders, 36-year-old policeman Iskandar Rahmat, had stabbed car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin in self-defence after the 67-year-old came at him with a knife.

The forensic pathologist was testifying on the third day of Iskandar's trial in the High Court for murdering Mr Tan and his son Chee Heong, 42, on July 10, 2013.

Iskandar, who was saddled with debt, is accused of killing both men while carrying out a plan to rob the older Mr Tan at his Hillside Drive terraced house.

Yesterday, Dr Lau told the court that the older man suffered 12 stab wounds to the neck and chest, the deepest of which was 13cm. Mr Tan also suffered slash wounds on the neck, head and chest, including the fatal one across the front of his neck. He also had defensive injuries on his fingers.

His son suffered seven stab wounds, including the fatal one to his neck, and at least seven slash wounds. He also suffered grazes and lacerations as a result of his body being dragged under a car for a kilometre, from his father's house to Kovan MRT station.

Given the severity of the stab to his neck, he was most likely dead or nearly dead by the time his body was dragged, said Dr Lau, who added that the extent of the injuries caused by the dragging was something he had never seen.

Referring to a picture of the alleged murder weapon drawn by Iskandar, Deputy Public Prosecutor Lau Wing Yum asked Dr Lau if the depicted knife could have caused the injuries.

Dr Lau said it could have caused most of the injuries but, if the drawing was to scale, the 9.2cm blade would not have been able to cause two wounds on the older Mr Tan that were 11cm and 13cm deep. He did not rule out the possibility that two knives had been used, when questioned by defence counsel Shashi Nathan. Mr Nathan suggested a scenario in which the older Mr Tan attacked Iskandar with a knife, and Iskandar took the knife away but slashed Mr Tan because the older man kept coming at him.

Dr Lau said that if this were the case, he would be conducting an autopsy on Iskandar instead. "It would really beg the question why the assailant stabbed Mr Tan Boon Sin not once, not twice, not thrice, but a total of 12 times... To me, that would seem quite an excessive form of self-defence," he said.

The court also heard that the older Mr Tan had severe osteoarthritis, corroborating the testimony of his wife and fishing buddy. His orthopaedic surgeon Kevin Lee said he walked with a limp and was due for knee surgery. Asked by Deputy Public Prosecutor Prem Raj Prabakaran if Mr Tan could have charged down a flight of stairs, he said: "Not without falling down first."

Also taking the stand were two eyewitnesses. A neighbour's maid, Madam Salamah, 28, said the younger Mr Tan staggered out of the house holding his bleeding neck before collapsing behind his father's silver Toyota Camry. She said Iskandar walked around the back of the car and looked at the body before he drove off in the car.

Mr Anthony Fabian, 56, the caretaker of a nearby vacant building, saw the younger Mr Tan's body being dragged under the car.

The trial continues today.

Prodigy · Oct 30, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Suspect went on leave after alleged crime

Photo: The Straits Times

Selina Lum
Friday, Oct 30, 2015

Just 2½ hours after allegedly stabbing a father and son to death, Kovan double-murder suspect Iskandar Rahmat texted his superior officer in the police not to confess, but to apply for urgent leave.

Two days later, and an hour before being arrested at a Johor Baru eatery, Senior Staff Sergeant Iskandar again messaged his superior to say he had "run off" to Malaysia because of his financial problems and wanted to quit the police force.

This was revealed yesterday in Iskandar's trial, in which he has to answer charges that he murdered car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, and his son Chee Heong, 42, on July 10, 2013, during a bid to rob the former at his Hillside Drive house.

Taking the stand yesterday was his superior, Senior Station Inspector Nurussufyan Ali, who heads a team of 35 at the Bedok Police Division. He told the High Court he was "shocked" when he learnt that his subordinate of six months had been arrested for murder. "I did recall that there was an alert of a possible hit-and-run accident at Kovan, but I did not suspect at that point in time that it was a murder," he said.

After allegedly stabbing and slashing both men, Iskandar fled the scene in the older man's Toyota Camry, dragging the son's body under the car for a kilometre until it was dislodged outside Kovan MRT station.

Senior Station Insp Nurussufyan said Iskandar was posted to his team from the investigation branch in January 2013, when he came under scrutiny for chalking up debt of more than three times his salary. But his performance was not affected by the disciplinary proceedings, he added. Senior Station Insp Nurussufyan said Iskandar was a good worker, efficient and knowledgeable, and he seemed confident of clearing his debt, saying he would get money from his cousin. The court has been told that no such cousin exists.

On the day of the killings, Iskandar was supposed to be on the night shift, but at 5.59pm, he asked for urgent leave to meet his cousin. Senior Station Insp Nurussufyan approved the request and told Iskandar to keep him updated.

At 10.17pm, Iskandar told him he was "still talking". He fled to JB on his scooter at about 11pm.

At 8.49pm on July 12, Iskandar contacted his superior through WhatsApp and said he had fled to Malaysia because he knew he would be made a bankrupt. Iskandar also wanted to resign from the force, despite attempts by Senior Station Insp Nurussufyan to talk him out of it.

Also taking the stand yesterday was forensic odontologist Tan Peng Hui, an expert on teeth marks.

Iskandar claimed that the elder Mr Tan had attacked him with a knife and bitten him during a struggle. Dr Tan, who had examined Iskandar's left palm for bite marks on the day after his arrest, categorically stated that the superficial injury on his hand was not a bite mark.

That prompted defence lawyer Shashi Nathan to suggest the possibility that the wound could have healed. But Dr Tan rejected this: "Even with healing, you will see the formation of the scar, you will see physical evidence of teeth marks."

The trial, which continues today, is expected to be over sooner than next year - when it was originally scheduled to run till. This is because the defence is not disputing the testimonies of many of the prosecution witnesses, who no longer have to be called to the stand.

The court heard yesterday that the prosecution, which has called 15 witnesses, has just two more lined up.

[email protected]

Prodigy · Oct 30, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Suspect will take the stand tomorrow

Published Oct 29, 2015, 5:00 am SGT
Selina Lum

Iskandar Rahmat, the policeman on trial for double murders in Kovan two years ago, was calm as he told the High Court yesterday he will take the stand to answer to the charges.

The 36-year-old is expected to start his testimony tomorrow and will be the only witness called. He is defended by Mr Shashi Nathan.

Justice Tay Yong Kwang called for Iskandar's defence after the prosecution closed its case against him for the murders of car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, and his son Chee Heong, 42.

Iskandar, who was saddled with debt, is accused of stabbing and slashing the pair while carrying out his plan to rob the older Mr Tan at his Hillside Drive terrace house on July 10, 2013.

After knifing them, he escaped in the father's Toyota Camry, dragging the son's body under the car for a kilometre until it was dislodged outside Kovan MRT station.

Over the past five days of the trial, 16 prosecution witnesses out of the list of 102 took the stand.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lau Wing Yum said yesterday that, after reviewing the evidence heard so far and given the limited number of issues that arose between the prosecution and defence, prosecutors have decided not to call American forensic scientist Henry Lee or submit his crime scene reconstruction report.

The statements of another 85 witnesses were admitted without them being called to the stand, as the defence is not disputing their testimonies. The last witness who took the stand was Dr Lim Hock Hin, who had examined Iskandar for injuries a day after his arrest.

His report said Iskandar had a bite mark on his left palm, two stitched-up cuts on his right hand, and scratches on both hands. Dr Lim clarified he described the mark on the palm as a bite only because Iskandar had told him he had been bitten. Dr Lim deferred to the opinion of forensic odontologist Tan Peng Hui, a teeth mark expert, who testified the injury was not a bite.

Dr Lim said Iskandar had told him that the two cuts were caused by him grabbing a knife. The stitching was done by a general practitioner in Malaysia after Iskandar fled there.

Prodigy · Oct 31, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder trial: Accused said he intended to rob, not kill

Published Friday, Oct 30, 2015

SINGAPORE - Ex-cop Iskandar Rahmat revealed in court on Friday (Oct 30) how he had planned to rob car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin of more than $200,000, and that he acted in self-defence when he stabbed Mr Tan and his son.

Prodigy · Oct 31, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder trial: Accused hatched plot to rob victim, claims he acted in self-defence

Ex-cop Iskandar Rahmat, who was saddled with debts, has revealed how he had planned to rob car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin. PHOTO: ST FILE

Published Oct 30, 2015, 12:56 pm SGT
Lee Min Kok
Shawn Lee

SINGAPORE - Ex-cop Iskandar Rahmat revealed in court on Friday (Oct 30) how he had planned to rob car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin of more than $200,000, and that he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed Mr Tan and his son.

Iskandar, 36, was one of two witnesses to take the stand in front of a packed courtroom of about 50 people on the sixth day of the high-profile trial.

The former policeman is accused of stabbing and slashing Mr Tan, 67, and his son Tan Chee Heong, 42, at their Hillside Drive terrace house on July 10, 2013, while attempting to carry out the robbery.

Faced with debts incurred from his car, housing and renovation loans, Iskandar said he had been "desperate" as he feared that he could not provide for his family.

He had been assigned as the investigating officer when the elder Mr Tan first made a police report that money was missing from his safe deposit box at the Certis Cisco Centre. But as several other thefts were also reported, another officer was assigned to look after all the cases.

The idea of taking the money came when he learnt from his colleague that Mr Tan still had more than $200,000 in the box.

With the July 11 deadline of his disciplinary hearing for financial embarrassment nearing, Iskandar came up with a plan on July 8 - he would tell Mr Tan his safe deposit box would be hit again, and that he needed to put a surveillance camera inside.

When Mr Tan took out the money from the box, he would then strike.

While attempting to install the camera in the house, Iskandar's ploy was discovered when Mr Tan realised there were no batteries in it.

Iskandar claimed Mr Tan had approached him while holding a knife in his right hand, and had attempted to attack him.

He then grabbed Mr Tan's knife-wielding hand and got injured in the process. He eventually wrestled the knife from Mr Tan and stabbed him in the ensuing struggle.

After Mr Tan had weakened, his son Chee Heong got home, saw what had happened, and rushed at Iskandar with his fists clenched.

Without realising that he was still holding the knife, Iskandar aimed punches at Chee Heong's face, who fell down during the scuffle as the floor was slippery with blood and subsequently ran out of the house.

Iskandar then retrieved Mr Tan's car keys next to his body. He claimed he did not go to the back of the car and was not aware that Chee Heong was behind it as he drove off. He also did not feel any difference with the car when Chee Heong's body got dislodged near Kovan MRT station.

The past five days of the trial saw 16 prosecution witnesses out of the list of 102 take the stand.

The statements of the other 85 witnesses were admitted without them being called to the stand, as the defence did not dispute their testimonies.

Cross-examination of the witnesses will begin on Nov 9.

Prodigy · Nov 3, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan murder trial: 'I felt even more desperate... I will be sacked'

Photo: The Straits Times

Elizabeth Law
Monday, Nov 2, 2015

The notice to attend a bankruptcy hearing was served to Iskandar Rahmat at his workplace and received by his superior.

The senior officer told Iskandar that he would raise the matter to the management of Bedok Police Division, where Iskandar was an investigation officer.

As a result of his financial embarrassment, Iskandar was told he would not be allowed to bear arms and was transferred to administrative duties pending internal investigations against him.

"I was very sad and disappointed that the management didn't believe what I was trying to say... This amount didn't even come from me gambling. I didn't engage in vices and still I'm liable for all this," he said.

This resulted in a hearing before the police disciplinary board, where Iskandar was told that should he be found guilty of contravening police regulations, he could be dismissed.

DEMORALISED

"I felt quite demoralised that I'm not going to be able to have such an income any more.

"After school, I didn't work anywhere else, didn't know what else to work as this was the only job I had for more than 10 years," Iskandar said.

After finishing his O levels at Victoria School, Iskandar spent a year at Singapore Polytechnic in an electrical engineering course before dropping out and signing up with the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

He was eventually sponsored by the SPF and completed a diploma in management and police studies at Temasek Polytechnic in 2012.

He attended a bankruptcy hearing on July 4, 2013, a day after he offered to pay OCBC Bank a lump sum of $50,000 despite not having the money to do so.

"I felt that was an amount that would make them take notice and delay the bankruptcy," Iskandar told the court.

After the hearing, he was given a week to cough up the money.

"I was still desperate, (in fact) I felt even more desperate. I was sad that at the end of the month, I will be sacked. And in one week, I will be bankrupt.

Nuance · Nov 3, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan murder trial: His debt spiralled out of control

Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee paying his respects at the funeral wake for Mr Tan Boon Sin and his son, Mr Tan Chee Heong.

Photo: The New Paper

Elizabeth Law
Monday, Nov 2, 2015

During his time on the witness stand, suspended police officer Iskandar Rahmat said that his financial troubles started shortly after his marriage broke down in 2005.

He said he had been married in 2004 but did not want to go into details.

He told the court Friday that in 2012, as a senior staff sergeant who was also an investigation officer, he was earning a gross salary about $4,000 a month.

He took home about $3,200.

By the time of the divorce a year later, he had spent $360,000 on a flat in Tampines, $108,000 for a car and some $20,000 on renovation.

Of this, he had taken out a $290,000 loan from OCBC Bank to pay for the flat.

He was also committed to a $1,000-a-month repayment plan for the car.

Meanwhile, his renovation loan was being serviced by his father, whom Iskandar said had borrowed the cash intended for the renovation.

But some of the renovation loan's payment lapsed and he fell back on making payments for both the flat and the car.

The car was repossessed in 2006 but despite it being auctioned off, the bank told Iskandar that there was a shortfall. He had to pay $500 a month for the next two years.

BANKRUPTCY

After the mandatory five-year minimum occupancy period, Iskandar's flat was seized by the bank and sold for $450,000.

He thought that would net him a profit.

Yet he was told that he still owed some $87,000 to the bank, which he claimed could not give him a breakdown of the outstanding amount.

This was further brought down to $60,000.

At the end of 2012, Iskandar was served a notice at work to attend bankruptcy hearings.

Nuance · Nov 3, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan murder trial: He wanted to rob & run

ACCUSED: Former police officer Iskandar Rahmat is now on trial for the murders of Mr Tan Boon Sin and his son, Mr Tan Chee Heong.

Photo: The Straits Times

Elizabeth Law
Monday, Nov 2, 2015

Deep in debt and facing bankruptcy proceedings, he became desperate, so desperate he devised a plan to rob a motor workshop owner.

But on July 10, 2013, his encounter with Mr Tan Boon Sin at his Kovan home ended with the gory deaths of Mr Tan, 67, and his son, Mr Tan Chee Heong, 42.

This was what suspended police officer Iskandar Rahmat told the High Court as he began his defence yesterday for the murders of the father and son at 14J, Hillside Drive.

Mr Tan's body was found in the house, and his son's body was found nearly 1km away, outside the Kovan MRT station, after being dragged under his father's Toyota Camry that Iskandar had used to get away.

Iskandar testified that it was a robbery gone wrong and he had never intended to kill his victims.

After Mr Tan removed about $200,000 in cash and valuables from a safe-deposit box, Iskandar "escorted" Mr Tan back to his house.

GRAB

Iskandar said he just wanted to grab the bag of money and valuables at the house and run for the main road to hail a taxi and flee.

But his plan began to unravel as soon they reached the house.

THE PLAN

Some time in November 2012 while still an investigation officer, Iskandar Rahmat was assigned Mr Tan Boon Sin's case involving theft from his safety deposit box at Certis Cisco.

Following up on the case, Iskandar came to discover that Mr Tan had over $200,000 worth of valuables left in the box.

In July 2013, Iskandar hatched a plan to rob Mr Tan in a bid to pay off his debt.

On July 10, he pretended to be an officer from the Police Intelligence Division and told Mr Tan that his safe-deposit box was going to be broken into again.

He convinced Mr Tan to empty the box, taking the valuables home, and replacing them with a dummy close-circuit television camera.

Under the guise of escorting Mr Tan home, Iskandar planned to go with him so he could snatch the valuables and make a run for it.

Iskandar cut a mobile phone ear piece and wore a wristlet to make it seem like he had a communication device. He dressed like an investigation officer and even rented a car so he would seem professional, contacting Mr Tan from a coin phone to tell him about the potential "theft".

They arranged to meet at 2pm at a Shell petrol station on Paya Lebar Road, right next to the Certis Cisco building.
Kovan's double murder shocked Singaporeans
Photo Source: The Straits Times, The New Paper, SPH
5 of 34

THE DEATHS

Iskandar's plans quickly began to unravel the moment Mr Tan drove through the gates of 14J Hillside Drive.

After parking his car, Mr Tan shut the electronic gates behind him and invited Iskandar into his home.

Inside the house, the older man placed an orange bag next to other plastic bags below a flight of stairs. In a bid to make him reopen the gate, Iskandar said he wanted to go out for a cigarette and Mr Tan agreed.

When Iskandar returned to the house, Mr Tan was standing at the mezzanine level near the orange bag, which was in plain sight. Iskandar said his partner would be arriving soon and told Mr Tan to leave the gate open.

Said Iskandar: "(Mr Tan Boon Sin) was standing near the staircase, the orange bag was still there but Mr Tan was near the bag, so there was no opportunity to take the bag and run."

He asked to use the bathroom. Coming out two minutes later, he saw that the orange bag was no longer at that spot and that Mr Tan was speaking in Hokkien to someone over the phone. Iskandar waited while Mr Tan moved towards the kitchen before ending his call.

"I told (Mr Tan) that we need to go back to Cisco because his box has been hit, and the culprit has been caught, and that we need to bring the valuables to put back inside," said Iskandar.

The older man seemed surprised, Iskandar said, and went into the kitchen to make another call. It is not known whom he called.

After a while, Iskandar called out to Mr Tan and said they needed to be on their way when the older man appeared at the kitchen door.

He looked angry, Iskandar said, adding that Mr Tan said in Malay that Iskandar had cheated him because the CCTV camera he had given him earlier contained no batteries.

"I was surprised he found out about the CCTV so I told him that it didn't need to use batteries," Iskandar said, adding that Mr Tan did not respond but kept moving towards him.

About an arm's length away from Iskandar, Mr Tan raised his arm, revealing a knife.

The older man swung the knife at him, and Iskandar said his reflex was to try and grab Mr Tan's hand to stop the attack.

"I was very surprised. I used my hand to grab him but grabbed the hand holding the knife."

STRUGGLE

There was a struggle and he wrested the knife from Mr Tan, but he said the older man continued attacking him, grabbing his shirt and hitting his body.

"My right hand bleeding but still holding knife," Iskandar said, "when I tightened my right hand, I felt pain like it was pressing on my bone." The scuffle continued and he remember hitting Mr Tan "about five or six times".

"I was in pain, hand was bleeding. I panicked that there was so much blood. My whole life never been cut before like that. Everything was very fast, then it seems blurry to me," he said.

At some point, Iskandar was bitten on his left hand by Mr Tan, who did not let go, he said.

"At the point, I didn't think about the money any more, I was just fearing for my life because Mr Tan... attacked me with a knife, so I feared for my safety and wanted to leave the house," Iskandar said.

Mr Tan's grip on him was loosening, but he was falling backwards and pulled Iskandar with him. Iskandar bent over as Mr Tan collapsed to the ground and as Iskandar was straightening himself to stand up, he heard someone at the door shout "Pa" - Mr Tan Chee Heong.

Mr Tan Chee Heong's hands were balled into fists and he charged at Iskandar to strike him.

Iskandar said he defended himself by punching back, his right hand still clenched in a fist, forgetting that he had a knife in it.

"I didn't intend to stab him. I intended to punch his face because his punch was at my face so I wanted to retaliate," he said. "I was in shock somebody suddenly just came home."

After several moments, which saw Mr Tan Chee Heong slip and fall on the blood twice, he stumbled out of the house, Iskandar said.

He grabbed a towel from the toilet as a makeshift bandage for his cut right hand before grabbing Mr Tan Boon Sin's car keys from the floor next to his body.

On the floor was also a piece of paper that said "Rahman, PID", the pseudonym he gave Mr Tan when they met earlier that day.

Iskandar picked up that piece of paper as well as his sunglasses that had fallen off during the tussle and left the house, getting into Mr Tan's silver Toyota Camry and driving off.

Despite Mr Tan Chee Heong's body being dragged about 1km by the car, Iskandar said he never felt any difference while driving, nor did he see the younger Mr Tan lying behind the car.

"On Upper Serangoon Road, some people were horning (sic) at me, but I thought it was because there were some bloodstains near the back door on the right, so I just drove faster until the horning (sic) stopped," he said.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

2004

Iskandar Rahmat gets married.

2005

He gets divorced. Has outstanding loans on home, renovation and car.

2006

Promoted to Senior Staff Sergeant.

2012

In October or November, notice to attend bankruptcy hearing served to his workplace at Bedok Police Division (BPD) and received by his superior. In November, Mr Tan Boon Sin makes police report at BPD about theft in his safe-deposit box.

2013

In January, Iskandar barred from carrying arms and transferred out of Investigation Section.

In April, he attends first Police Disciplinary Board (PDB) hearing for financial embarrassment.

JULY 3

At second PDB, he is reminded that he could be fired from police force.

JULY 4

At bankruptcy hearing, judge approves his offer to make $50,000 payment to OCBC Bank.

JULY 8

Iskandar hatches plan to rob Mr Tan, according to his defence.

JULY 10

He kills Mr Tan Boon Sin and his son, Mr Tan Chee Heong. He flees to Malaysia that night on scooter.

JULY 12

Arrested in Malaysia.

JULY 13

Brought back to Singapore.

JULY 15

Charged with double murders of Mr Tan Boon Sin and Mr Tan Chee Heong.

Prodigy · Nov 10, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Suspect 'killed victims so they could not identify him'

Published Nov 10, 2015

Prosecutors claim he had armed himself with knife, with intent to kill 'right from the outset'

Selina Lum

A sketch of Deputy Public Prosecutor Lau Wing Yum (standing) cross-examining the suspect, Iskandar Rahmat (in yellow shirt), in court yesterday.

Prosecutors yesterday accused 36-year-old policeman Iskandar Rahmat, on trial for the Kovan double murder, of killing a father and son to silence them so that they could not identify him.

Iskandar had testified on Oct 30 that he had wanted to steal from car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin in a bid to resolve his financial woes.

He insisted that his plan was just to grab the money and run, but the ploy went wrong when his 67-year- old victim wised up to the ruse and attacked him with a knife.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Lau Wing Yum, cross-examining Iskandar on the seventh day of the trial yesterday, put it to him that he had armed himself with a knife, intending to kill Mr Tan "right from the outset".

The DPP also alleged that Iskandar had killed Mr Tan's son, Chee Heong, to silence him when the 42-year-old arrived at his father's Hillside Drive house.

Iskandar flatly denied the allegations. He remained stony-faced and composed as the DPP sought to poke holes in his account.

DPP Lau pointed out that if Iskandar had simply run off with the money as he claimed to have planned, leaving Mr Tan Boon Sin alive, the elderly victim would have made a police report and identified him.

Iskandar replied that he had called Mr Tan from a payphone and worn sunglasses when he met him, and that Mr Tan, being elderly, would not have been able to pick him out in an identification parade.

He disagreed with DPP Lau that, as an experienced investigator, he knew that investigations would lead to his identification.

The court had heard earlier that Iskandar was the initial investigating officer when Mr Tan made a police report in November 2012 about $35,000 stolen from his safe deposit box at Certis Cisco. But the two never met.

On July 10, 2013, facing imminent bankruptcy and possible dismissal from the police force, Iskandar set in motion a plan to steal from Mr Tan, who had $200,000 left in the box.

Posing as an intelligence officer on a sting operation to catch the safe-deposit-box thief, Iskandar told Mr Tan to substitute the valuables in the box with a closed-circuit television camera.

The camera which Iskandar supplied was a $10 fake that did not come with a cover for the battery compartment or any batteries.

The dummy camera was the focus of a good part of DPP Lau's questioning yesterday.

The significance of the issue lies in Iskandar's claim that after he followed Mr Tan back to his house, the elderly man came at him with a knife, accusing the cop of cheating him as there were no batteries in the camera. DPP Lau sought to disparage this account.

Surveillance footage at the Certis Cisco vault was played in court. It showed Mr Tan putting the camera in his deposit box and then taking it out two minutes later. DPP Lau suggested that by this time, Mr Tan would have known that the battery compartment was empty. Iskandar replied that he would not know.

DPP Lau suggested that Mr Tan had left the building to ask Iskandar about the lack of batteries but was assured that it could operate without batteries - that was why Mr Tan later made a second trip to Certis Cisco to put the camera in again. Iskandar disagreed.

The DPP said there was no reason Mr Tan would suddenly become suspicious of Iskandar in the house, after allowing the cop to escort him home and offering him a drink.

Iskandar replied: "I wouldn't know what's going on in his mind."

The trial resumes tomorrow.

Prodigy · Nov 10, 2015

Re: Kovan double murder trial set to begin

Kovan double murder trial: Accused denies he killed the two victims to silence them

Published Nov 9, 2015, 3:41 pm SGT
Lee Min Kok
Shawn Lee
Selina Lum

SINGAPORE - Former police officer Iskandar Rahmat, who is on trial for the murder of car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, and his son Tan Chee Heong, 42, denied on Monday (Nov 9) that he had killed the two men to silence them.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lau Wing Yum, who cross-examined the 36-year-old, said the elder Mr Tan would have called the police immediately had Iskandar's plan to rob him in his home been successful.

And as an experienced investigator, added DPP Lau, Iskandar would have known that investigations would lead to him being a key suspect after the crime.

Iskandar, who gave his testimony on Oct 30, is accused of stabbing and slashing both men in their Hillside Drive terrace house on July 10, 2013, while attempting to carry out the robbery.

The prosecution also zeroed in on the dummy CCTV camera that Iskandar used to trick Mr Tan into opening his safe desposit box.

It was shown in court to have no battery cover or batteries, with the prosecution suggesting that Mr Tan had noticed that while attempting to fit it into his desposit box.

The last six days of the trial had seen 17 prosecution witnesses - including the victims' family members - take the stand.
Related Story
Plan was to steal, not kill, says Kovan double-murder suspect

Details had emerged about how Iskandar, then a senior staff sergeant in the Singapore Police Force, faced a debt of nearly $90,000 in housing, car and renovation loans after a failed marriage.

Fearful of losing his job because of his imminent bankruptcy, Iskandar hatched a plot to rob the elder Mr Tan after the latter had previously filed a police report over a theft from his safe deposit box.

In his defence, Iskandar had claimed that murder was never on his mind - his plan had been to take the money from Mr Tan and run.

He had been unarmed as he was trying to trick Mr Tan into handing over his valuables, and only stabbed and slashed both men when they tried to prevent him from escaping.

The trial will resume on Wednesday.

Kovan Double Murder thread

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