On July 8, 2015, a tragic altercation over money led to the death of one man and the escape of his attacker. The skirmish involved 53-year-old Sats catering safety officer Tay Eng Soon, who was punched in the face twice and kicked in the stomach by 49-year-old Lim Keow Chye at a Sengkang coffee shop in Block 303, Anchorvale Link.
In a coroner’s inquiry into Tay’s death, the court heard that Lim is believed to have fled Singapore not long after the fatal brawl. Singapore police have requested for Malaysian officers to catch Lim, but no credible leads have turned up so far.
According to The Straits Times, Tay was at the coffee shop that evening for a meal with his wife and two friends, while Lim was drinking beer at another table with his older sister and three friends. Investigations surfaced Lim’s ongoing quarrel with the couple over donations that Tay’s wife had collected for a temple in Thailand.
Footage from the eatery’s CCTV showed Lim standing aggressively and speaking angrily near Tay’s table around 10.09pm. After two minutes, he stormed over to Tay, grabbed his neck and punched his face twice. As Tay fell to the ground, a fight broke out. Lim finally kicked Tay’s stomach before leaving the scene at 10.13pm. Tay remained unresponsive.
An ambulance brought Tay to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, but he was pronounced dead after two-and-a-half hours. Autopsy findings revealed that his death was caused by bleeding within the subarachnoid space, the area between the brain and the tissues that cover it.
Lim’s whereabouts are still unknown.
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