Man, 34, arrested for murder of woman, 41, in Woodlands rental flat
Neighbour hears loud, pounding sounds from Woodlands flat before victim is found dead by police
A woman living on the 12th storey of a Woodlands block was woken up by loud pounding sounds in the early hours of yesterday.
They seemed to be coming from the unit directly below hers, but she was too scared to go down to check what was happening.
The noise stopped after about five minutes and she went back to sleep.
A 41-year-old woman living in the unit below her was later found motionless and pronounced dead by paramedics.
The police later arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of her murder.
They said that the suspect is known to the victim.
The New Paper understands that he could be the boyfriend of the victim, Ms Mallika Begum Rahamansa Abdul Rahman.
A police spokesman said they found her body in her one-room rental flat on the 11th storey of Block 693D Woodlands Avenue 6 after receiving a call for assistance at 1.34am yesterday.
TNP understands that Ms Mallika had multiple bruises on her face and body, and no weapon was found in the flat.
The suspect, who lives elsewhere but is often seen at the block by neighbours, is believed to have left the scene but was later arrested after the police were able to quickly establish his identity.
Ms Mallika's upstairs neighbour said she woke up at around 1.15am after hearing the pounding sounds from below.
VIGOROUS
The 38-year-old coffee shop worker, who declined to be named, told TNP: "The loud, continuous pounding was quite vigorous and lasted more than five minutes.
"I also heard a woman shrieking as if in pain. Then the noise suddenly stopped, followed by an eerie silence."
Other neighbours said Ms Begum had been seen arguing over the past few days with a bald man who often stayed over in her flat.
A man living on the eighth storey said there was a particularly heated argument on Tuesday.
"They quarrelled for about an hour, shouting at each other outside the unit," said the man, who declined to be identified.
"I recognised the man, who is bald and heavily tattooed. He always parks his motorcycle at the same spot in the carpark."
The residents said police officers knocked on the doors of several neighbours at around 2am to ask they had heard any commotion or saw anyone leaving the scene.
A neighbour on the same level told Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao that he last saw Ms Mallika outside her flat at about 1am with her head wrapped in a towel.
Mr Ahmad Hitam, 68, a retiree who lives on the same floor as Ms Mallika, said the block is new, and most residents started moving in only around June last year.
"There are many quarrels here, and everyone can hear because of the way sounds echo off the blocks," he said.
"I saw the couple frequently. The guy is quite buff while the woman is petite."
Checks by TNP indicated that Ms Mallika was married in November 2013. The status of the marriage could not be confirmed.
A business search also showed she started a beauty salon specialising in eyebrows at Toa Payoh Central in 2009. The licence was cancelled in early 2011.
At least five police investigators were seen entering the flat yesterday, with several others in the common corridor.
The police cordon, which was in place for more than 12 hours, was removed at around 6.30pm yesterday.
Investigators were also seen leaving the scene with two large ice boxes, believed to contain evidence, yesterday afternoon.
Police investigations are ongoing, and the suspect is expected to be charged in court with murder today.
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