A FEW hours before he allegedly murdered his former girlfriend, Pathip Selvan Sugumaran was caught on a surveillance camera buying a knife at an Ang Mo Kio store.

After apparently fatally stabbing Miss Jeevitha Panippan, 18, Pathip called his mother, who helped him flee to Malaysia through the Woodlands checkpoint.

But the next day, less than 24 hours later, Pathip gave himself up to the same immigration officer who had granted his application to leave Singapore.

He confessed to the officer that he wanted to run away the day before because he had killed his girlfriend out of jealousy.

These details about Miss Jeevitha's killing in July last year emerged in the High Court on Monday as Pathip went on trial for murder, which carries the mandatory death penalty.

His defence is likely to be that he killed her on 'grave and sudden provocation'.