In a deeply distressing incident that unfolded in 2019, a young woman’s life took a nightmarish turn as she became the victim of a brutal assault in the serene forested vicinity of Kranji.
The assailant, 23-year-old Indian national Chinnaiah Karthik, pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated rape for his assault on the woman and was sentenced on 27 October to 16 years imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane, according to The Straits Times.
His attack was so vicious that the victim’s then-boyfriend could barely recognize her when he went to see her at the hospital, given the extent of the injuries to her face.
What happened?
On 4 May 2019 at about 1.30 am, the victim, a university student, found herself in Kranji late at night due to a simple mistake – she had mistakenly boarded the wrong MRT train while on her way back to campus. Little did she know that this innocuous error would lead to a harrowing ordeal.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kayal Pillay disclosed that the victim had been returning to her residential hall from Changi when she accidentally boarded the incorrect train, ending up at Kranji MRT station.
Engaged in a heated argument with her boyfriend over the phone, she opted to wait for a bus that would transport her back to her campus.
In a secluded area
She later passed by a Singapore Turf Club street sign, and was approached by Chinnaiah, inquiring if she was alright. She responded affirmatively but implored him to go away.
Still in the middle of nowhere, the victim attempted to walk all the way to the MRT station, she was then grabbed by Chinnaiah who then pushed her towards the direction of Turf Club Avenue.
Unable to comprehend Chinnaiah’s incoherent mutterings and growing increasingly anxious as he pursued her, the victim shared her predicament with her boyfriend over the phone.
Desperate for help, he advised her to make her way to an open space and flag down a taxi. Unfortunately, her surroundings offered no such refuge as they were devoid of open areas and she was walking along a deserted road with no one in sight.
Drags her into the forest
In a chilling sequence of events, Chinnaiah caught up with the victim at the road divider, delivering a savage punch to her face.
The boyfriend could hear his girlfriend screaming and the chaos over the phone, but the line abruptly went silent. In desperation, he contacted the victim’s hall mate, who swiftly alerted the police.
Chinnaiah continued his assault on the victim, causing her eyeglasses to fall from her face. Eventually, he placed her in a headlock under his arm and dragged her into the forest.
Inside the vegetation, he pinned her down on her neck as he raped her, and tightened his grib when the victim tried to break free.
After finishing raping her, the man drank water from the victim’s water bottle and poured the rest of the water on her, before leaving her and walking deeper into the forest.
She then took out a pair of scissors inside her bag in case the man came back, and found her phone ringing; she answered it and told her boyfriend that she was raped.
After that, she made her way back onto the main road and sat down crying, before the police arrived at the scene at about 2.05am.
Had been following her
Surveillance footage later revealed that Chinnaiah had been stalking her for about 15 minutes before they disappeared from view along Turf Club Avenue at 1:32 am. The victim emerged from the vegetation, disheveled, at 1:48 am.
The police apprehended Chinnaiah on May 5, 2019, the day after the incident, thanks to their investigations in nearby dormitories and housing areas. Forensic tests detected his DNA on the victim’s clothing and body.
Initially, a psychiatric evaluation found him unfit to stand trial, leading to a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on August 1, 2022, and his subsequent confinement at the Institute of Mental Health. He was later reassessed and found fit to plead on January 16, 2023.
Even four years after the incident, the victim continues to grapple with its emotional and psychological repercussions.
She still often cries ad home and distanced herself from her family and friends, and didn’t tell her parents about what happened because she feels ashamed.
She also never sought mental health treatment or counselling because she doesn’t think it would help her.
