Man caught on camera leaving temple murder scene
Suspicious man caught on camera leaving premises
The death of Mr Tan Poh Huat, 53, remains a mystery, but new clues are pointing to foul play.
His bloodied body was found on Sunday morning at the rear of a Teck Whye Lane temple, where he usually slept.
The police, who initially classified the death as unnatural, have now reclassified it as murder.
Mr Tan's family members told the media yesterdaythat closed-circuit television camera footage had shown a suspicious man leaving Chua Chu Kang Lian Sing Keng temple after closing hours on the night of his death.
Around $10,000 that was believed to be in Mr Tan's possession when he died was missing.
The man in the footage was a plump man, said Mr Tan's older brother, Mr Tan Ching Sew, 63, in Mandarin.
"He was rather large but I could not recognise him. The footage I saw captured him only from the back."
Temple employee Tan Kui Seng, 68, said the man, who looked to be in his 40s, had left the crime scene at around 2am to 3am from the back gate, reported Shin Min Daily News.
He was holding a white plastic bag.
The entrances to the temple, which closes at around 10.30pm, would have been locked at the time.
Mr Tan Kui Seng, who discovered the body, said: "(Mr Tan) does not have a home, so he sleeps alone at the back of the temple every night.
"He would say hi to me when I open the gate every day. Sometimes, I would be the one to wake him up."
SHOCK
"That day, instead of seeing him alive and well, I was shocked to find his blood everywhere."
He, too, could not recognise the man in the footage.
Besides the footage, many questions remain, such as why was Mr Tan carrying so much money and who did it belong to?
His older sister, Madam Tan Sui Kee, said the family was puzzled by the money as Mr Tan was not well off.
The youngest of six siblings, Mr Tan was divorced and spent his days at the temple helping with the chores.
He did not draw a salary from the temple, which was started by his father.
Madam Tan said: "He gets money from the Government through financial aid. But he also loves gambling.
"Recently, he started to become a bookie for horse racing and other sports. It is possible the money came from that."
The police questioned her on her brother's bookmaking activities yesterday. Madam Tan said he would occasionally ask her for money to fuel his gambling habit.
Mr Tan was supposed to have given the $10,000 to a third party as payment but it is not known if this transaction occurred, reported The New Paper on Monday.
He had also arranged to attend a mahjong session with friends on the day of his death, but it did not take place for some reason, family members told Lianhe Wanbao.
The family is confident the police will uncover the truth.
Madam Tan said: "I hope the police can catch the culprit soon. Only then can there be justice."
The family plans to hold Mr Tan's wake from today after the police releases the body.
Investigations are ongoing, said a police spokesman.
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