Seven charged with murder of man at Orchard Towers

SINGAPORE - Seven people were charged on Thursday (July 4) with the murder of Mr Satheesh Noel Gobidass,31, after he died following a brawl at Orchard Towers on Tuesday.

The charges were handed to four of the accused in court: Natalie Siow Yu Zhen, 22; Joel Tan Yun Sheng, 26; Chan Jia Xing, 26; and Ang Da Yuan, 26.

Another three - Tan Sen Yang, 27; Loo Boon Chong, 25; and Tan Hong Seng, 22 - were charged with one count each of murder with common intention via video link.

The group of seven allegedly killed Mr Satheesh, on Tuesday (July 2) around 6.25am at the entrance of Orchard Towers.

The police had arrested eight people, including two women, by Tuesday evening for the murder of Mr Satheesh. Investigations are still underway for the last member of the group, said the police on Wednesday.

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The Straits Times reported earlier that closed-circuit television footage from a shop on the first storey showed that the victim and the group exchanged blows after Mr Satheesh approached one of them.

The group later left and Mr Satheesh fell in front of the building's glass doors.

Mr Satheesh was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7.25am.

Storekeepers at Orchard Towers said they heard shouting and fighting in the early morning, and they believed the brawl had started in a club on the second floor called Naughty Girl.

When The Straits Times arrived on the scene on Tuesday afternoon, the police were seen speaking to people at the club and most of the second floor and the building's main entrance was cordoned off.

Offenders convicted of murder will face the death penalty.

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