During his period of release following his imprisonment, a convicted drug offender assaulted his former roommate with a knife, suspecting him of having an affair with his romantic partner. Abdul Karim V. Sickander also harmed the man’s girlfriend, resulting in multiple injuries and permanent scarring for both victims.
On Monday, Abdul Karim, aged 59, pleaded guilty to four charges, including voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a dangerous weapon and drug-related offences. His sentencing is scheduled for June.
Abdul Karim had been imprisoned for a drug-related conviction in June 2015 and was released on April 13, 2020, under a remission order that lasted until October 7, 2022. He shared a flat in Yishun with a 62-year-old Singaporean man and entered into a relationship with a woman named Tuti.
Sometime before June 23, 2022, Abdul Karim developed suspicions that his flatmate was having an affair with Tuti, despite the lack of evidence, according to Deputy Public Prosecutor Matthew Choo.
Confrontation
Abdul Karim confronted his flatmate multiple times regarding these suspicions, which eventually led the flatmate to move out of the residence. Approximately one week later, on June 23, 2022, Abdul Karim returned home after work around 8:20 PM, having consumed alcohol and methamphetamine. Failing to find his former flatmate and Tuti at home, he grabbed a kitchen knife with a 22cm blade and a smaller knife with a 15cm blade before leaving the flat.
Around 8:25 PM, the former flatmate and his Indonesian girlfriend, aged 42, arrived at the flat’s 10th floor to collect some of the man’s clothes. Noticing the lights were on inside, they assumed Abdul Karim was present and decided to avoid a confrontation by heading down to the void deck. The girlfriend then contacted the police.
Attack
Observing a police car near the building, the couple assumed that the authorities were dealing with Abdul Karim and took the elevator back to the 10th floor. Upon reaching the 10th floor, Abdul Karim, who had been waiting in the lift lobby, noticed them. He entered the elevator and attacked his former flatmate with the knife.
When the girlfriend attempted to intervene, Abdul Karim also attacked her. She managed to escape from the elevator and ran along the common corridor, calling for assistance. As the elevator doors closed with the two men inside, Abdul Karim continued his assault, slashing and stabbing the victim as the lift descended to the ground level.
Sent to hospital
Responding to the girlfriend’s call, police officers escorted Abdul Karim out of the elevator. The victims were subsequently transported to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. The man, who sustained multiple lacerations, underwent emergency surgery and was discharged on June 28, 2022, receiving 25 days of hospitalization leave. The girlfriend also underwent surgery, and she was discharged on June 26, 2022, with 14 days of hospitalization leave.
DPP Choo requested a prison sentence of 14 to 15 years for Abdul Karim, with an additional 107 days of imprisonment. He described the attack as premeditated, indiscriminate, brutal, and relentless.
The judge ordered a report to determine whether Abdul Karim is suitable for preventive detention, a measure typically imposed on repeat offenders to protect the public. Sentencing is scheduled for June 13.