Woman brandishes knife in clash with couple over rental deposit for Yishun condo

After their rental agreement with a sublessor fell through, a couple asked for their deposit to be returned.

They waited three weeks to no avail and decided to visit the sublessor's home for discussions. But the negotiations turned physical, with the woman brandishing a knife at the couple after she was attacked.

The incident occurred at about 7pm last Sunday (Nov 10) at a condominium in Yishun, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Chen, 41, said he had seen an advertisement for the four-bedroom unit on Oct 13 and contacted the poster, who said she had rented the apartment from the original tenant.

The woman told Chen she could sublet the unit to him and his wife if the homeowner was agreeable to it. 

After viewing pictures and videos of the apartment, the man immediately made a PayNow transfer of $1,000 to the woman as deposit.

The couple viewed the unit the next day, where both parties discussed the rental agreement in detail.

A week later, however, the woman told them that she had not gotten the approval of the condo owner to sublet the apartment.

"It seems to be because she had just moved in one month ago, so the homeowner did not agree," said Chen. "It's fine if they disagreed, I just asked the woman to return my deposit, but she hasn't done so until now."

He told the Chinese evening daily that the woman initially said she was busy, and later said she had to pay rent and her child's school fees.

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Police called to condo

Chen claimed that he and his wife had visited the condo unit last Sunday with the woman's consent.

"After talking for some time, the sublessor suddenly became agitated. She hit and kicked my wife, and tried to chase us out. She even pointed a knife at us," he alleged.

Chen then called the police.

According to Shin Min, a clip he filmed showed a woman in a white dress holding a fruit knife and making a phone call. Chen's wife was reportedly heard scolding the woman.

The police confirmed with AsiaOne they had received a call for assistance that evening.

A 45-year-old woman was arrested for criminal intimidation and another 47-year-old woman is assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt.

A knife was seized as a case exhibit, and police investigations are ongoing.

Woman claims couple turned physical first

Following the incident, Chen said he intends to file a small claims against the woman.

However, the woman told Shin Min she did not attack the couple first, and wielded the knife in self-defence.

Claiming that the couple had forcefully entered the unit, and that Chen's wife had spoken rudely to her, the woman told them to leave.

Chen's wife then allegedly hit, grabbed and kicked her, and refused to leave.

"My child was frightened, and I had no choice [but to take a knife] in this critical situation to protect my child and I," said the woman. 

As for the couple's claims that she did not want to return their deposit, the woman retorted that she never intended to keep the money. She said that Chen's wife had made many negative remarks about her, including calling her a scammer. 

She added that she will return the deposit and had also asked her father to urgently transfer her some money.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com