Never come between a man and his (free) roti prata, because he could slash you with a knife if you refuse to give it to him.
That was what happened when Murugan Joseph, 45, was sentenced on Friday to ten-and-a-half weeks’ jail and given six strokes of the cane for slashing a cook at a roti prata stall in Clementi because he did not get the free plate of roti prata he usually receives there, according to local media reports.
(Quick background: Roti prata is a popular flatbread dish from India that is found in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.)
He was also fined S$3,000 for the offense.
Murugan and two other friends would often ask for free food at Habib’s Express, an Indian food stall in Clementi, but they were finally prevented from doing so on July 27 last year and were asked to pay for their food by the stall’s senior supervisor, according to Today.
Murugan stormed out of the location and came back a few times after to repeat his ask but after the stall’s cook — Revi Jose Vibin — intervened, Murugan left and came back with a 19.5 cm-long knife, reported Channel NewsAsia.
It was at that moment when Murugan — who had been drinking before the incident — stabbed the cook, who ended up with a 4cm-deep wound and had to be warded in hospital for two days.
Media reports also mentioned that Murugan had been on the police radar for two bizarre incidents last year: one where he had asked the police to arrest him because he has an “alcohol problem”, and one where he was arrested for stealing a bottle of water at a local convenience store.
As HardwareZone user cearmouse says quite aptly on a forum thread about this story, “Hungry man is an angry man”.
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