In a case that has captured international attention, a Bangladeshi man, Raju Dhaly, stands accused of a heinous crime – the alleged murder of his wife, Jonalyn Alvarez Raviz, in Singapore in 2018.
The man, who has been on the run ever since and is wanted by Singapore for murder, has an Interpol Red Notice issued for his arrest.
He fled Singapore on 3 September 2018 for Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The alleged murder
On September 6, 2018, the decomposed body of Jonalyn Alvarez Raviz, a 34-year-old Filipina domestic worker, was discovered in a forested area along Tampines Road.
Her life had been tragically cut short, with a ligature wrapped around her neck, cruelly tied to a tree. The Straits Times reported the subsequent coroner’s inquiry into her death.
The inquiry’s findings unveiled a timeline of events. The deceased left her employer’s residence at Pasir Ris on 2 September 2018 at about 8.30am in the morning, before meeting Raju at the Pasir Ris Interchange at about 9am later that morning.
They spent the day together and later boarded a bus and headed towards Tampines Road later that afternoon, and at about 4.17pm, the deceased alighted the bus near Defu Lane 2.
Raju then took a taxi at about 5pm and headed back to his dormitory near the Jurong River, and later that evening he abruptly purchased a plane ticket to Bangladesh.
The following morning at about 5.30am, on 3 September, Raju got on a plane and left Singapore.
On 6 September, Ravis’s dead body was found in a forested area about 5 metres away from the footpath along Tampines Road.
She was found with a compressive neck injury, according to the state coroner, and was described as being an “unlawful killing likely perpetrated by her husband,” ie. Raju.
Strangulation was also said to have been a possible cause for her death, according to the investigating officer.
The mystery surrounding Raju’s sudden departure deepens as investigators label it “unexplained.” To address this, a warrant for his arrest was issued.
Employers reported them missing
The situation took a dark turn when Raviz failed to return home on September 2, 2018. Fearing the worst, her employer filed a missing person report.
Simultaneously, Raju’s employer reported his absence from work on September 3, 2018, adding to the growing list of unanswered questions in this perplexing case.
The Couple’s History
Raju had been working in Singapore as a process maintenance worker since 2007. Raviz, on the other hand, was employed as a domestic worker in Singapore between February 2010 and November 2011. She later worked in Hong Kong before returning to Singapore in 2016. The couple had tied the knot in 2015.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Raviz had confided in her employer about her marriage, where she was the victim of domestic violence.
She claimed Raju often confiscated her salary and was unfaithful. Raviz expressed her intention to end the marriage, planning to return to the Philippines without Raju’s knowledge.
In June 2018, she even reported that Raju had threatened her life if she tried to leave him.