Police looking for two brothers after man dies in void deck stabbing
By
Teh Joo Lin & Jalelah Abu Baker
Police investigators rummaging through the rubbish bin at a chute to look for evidence the suspects may have left behind before they fled Block 89, Redhill Close. -- PHOTO: SHIN MIN
HE THOUGHT he was merely letting off steam when he complained to his two brothers about a man he had just traded blows with.
The 37-year-old man did not reckon his brothers would follow him when he went downstairs a second time. He also claimed he did not know one of them would pull a knife on the man.
'I didn't know they followed me down and took a weapon along. When it happened, I couldn't stop them. It was too fast,' he told The Straits Times.
Police are now looking for his two brothers, aged 35 and 41, who fled Block 89, Redhill Close on Tuesday night after a man was knifed to death at the void deck.
The dead man, Mr John Vettamooto, 46, had been drinking at the void deck of the block with his old friend, Mr Bobby Thangavellu, since about 10am that day.
Mr Thangavellu, a cleaner, said Mr Vettamooto lived in Jurong but came by often to share their favourite concoction - Chinese rice wine mixed with water.
Mr Vettamooto and Mr Thangavellu, 52, had downed more than 10 bottles of the rice wine during the 12 hours they were at the void deck that day.
When they ran out of water after 9pm, Mr Thangavellu said Mr Vettamooto picked up a bottle to get more water at a nearby public tap.
On the way, Mr Vettamooto bumped into the 37-year-old man - who had been sitting at the nearby badminton court - and a scuffle broke out.
The man said: 'I told him: 'Shouldn't you be apologising?' Then he punched me, so I fought back.'
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
