[Update: Seven of the arrested have since been charged with murder.]
Eight people – six men and two women between the ages of 22 and 27 — have been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a 31-year-old man yesterday morning at Orchard Towers.
Police confirmed to Channel NewsAsia that they received a call for assistance at 6:25am and arrived to find the bloodied man prostrate in what appears to be a hallway on the mall’s first floor.
He was immediately taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Five of the eight are expected to be charged in court on Thursday for murder with common intention, which carries a potential death penalty.
In a disturbing video shared to local Facebook group Singapore Share-Share, the victim can be seen lying on the ground as three men attempt to stop the bleeding with tissue. Tissue packets are visible strewn across the blood-stained floor.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage now making the rounds online shows a group of men and women walking towards and attacking the victim after he steps off the escalator.
The Straits Times reported that shopkeepers at Orchard Towers said they heard a commotion in the early morning and believe the fight started inside Naughty Girl Club bar.
Within 12 hours of the attack, the eight suspects had been identified and apprehended, according to The New Paper.
Investigations are still ongoing.
Orchard Towers has a long and unenviable reputation for representing the seamier side of Singapore’s nightlife. We wrote a bit about that on the building’s 40th anniversary back in 2015. Check out our story here.
