If there’s one thing to take away from this story, it’s the fact that you never, ever should fuck with murtabak magnates.
The infamous rivalry between the two murtabak restaurants along North Bridge Road — Singapore Zam Zam and Victory — got to a vicious head after a dispute erupted between their staff on Aug 22 last year, according to court logs.
Their quarrel started when Victory restaurant supervisor Liakath Ali Mohamed Ibrahim was seen standing outside his restaurant touting for customers. The police arrived later in the evening to confront him (touting for business is prohibited in Singapore). The 52-year-old — who used to work at the rival murtabak joint from 1985 to 2004 — explained to the cops that he was touting because staff from Zam Zam were also doing the same.
29-year-old Zam Zam staff Koleth Navas overheard him, and an argument broke out between him and Liakath, with the police telling them to stop arguing before leaving.
It was after the police left that Zam Zam owner Zackeer Abbass Khan and restaurant chief supervisor Koleth Abdul Nasir both allegedly threatened Liakath. Zackeer was said to have threatened Liakath that he would “do him” within a week.
The court heard that Zackeer contacted his business associate Anwer Ambiya Kadir Maideen, the owner of As-Safeera Restaurant in Serangoon. Purportedly a headman of the Sio Ang Koon secret society, Anwer was allegedly paid $2,000 by Zackeer to slash Liakath’s face.
The task apparently fell upon 23-year-old Sio Ang Koon secret society member Joshua Navindran Surainthiran, who was told that he’d get $2,000 for carrying out the vicious attack on Liakath.
Joshua got his older brother Joel Girithiran Surainthiran (also an alleged Sio Ang Koon secret society member) to help with the attack, and his friend Ramge Visvamnathan to act as lookout.
The assault took place around 10pm on Aug 26, when Joshua used a knife to slash Liakath’s face along Arab Street. The brutal assault left the Victory restaurant supervisor with a permanent scar over his right upper lip. He sustained a 7cm cut extending to his right cheek, with part of the cut going through the inner surface of the lip.
Joshua has since been sentenced to 6 and a half years in jail and six strokes of the cane for the slashing incident as well as prior crimes — including rioting, disorderly behaviour and using criminal force against a policewoman.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s accomplices Joel and Ramge, As-Safeera Restaurant owner Anwer, as well as Zam Zam staff Koleth Navas and Koleth Abdul Nasir and their boss Zackeer have all been charged with engaging in conspiracy to cause grievous hurt to Liakath and/or criminal intimidation to hurt him.
