Bedok murders: Maid hit man with stool and stomped on wife

Indonesian maid Khasanah claimed she wanted to run away and that the 2017 murders happened during a scuffle.
Indonesian maid Khasanah claimed she wanted to run away and that the 2017 murders happened during a scuffle.

An Indonesian maid who killed an elderly couple in 2017 claimed she wanted only to run away, and that the double murders happened during a scuffle.

Khasanah, who is from Java, said when Mr Chia Ngim Fong started bleeding, she panicked and used a stool to hit the 79-year-old in the head.

When his wife confronted the maid, Khasanah pushed the 78-year-old onto the floor and stomped on Madam Chin Sek Fah repeatedly until she went quiet.

The details were revealed yesterday in a coroner's inquiry into the deaths of the elderly couple. The maid was arrested in Indonesia a week after the double murder.

State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam said Khasanah, who was 41 at the time, had decided to leave for Batam on June 21, 2017, after spotting her passport in a cupboard at the couple's maisonette flat at Block 717, Bedok Reservoir Road. She had been working for the couple for only about a month.

But Khasanah, who goes by only one name, told Indonesian police in the course of their investigation that she had been unhappy working for the couple. She said she did not like being scolded by Madam Chin.

In her escape plans, Khasanah decided she had to restrain the couple and cover their mouths with duct tape to prevent them from stopping her.

When she went into Mr Chia's bedroom, she found him sleeping on a bed.

State Coroner Kamala said: "She went up to Mr Chia, held his hands and pasted the duct tape over his mouth. She started to tie his hands with the raffia string. Mr Chia woke up and began to struggle.

"The duct tape covering his mouth came loose and he began to scream. Khasanah turned on the television to drown out his screams. She used her fists to punch him in the face."

She then picked up a wooden stool and used it to repeatedly hit his head.

When Madam Chin confronted Khasanah soon after, the maid pushed her, which caused the elderly woman to fall on to the floor.

"Khasanah tied Madam Chin's hands and legs with the raffia string and anchored the strings to the towel railing in the bathroom.

"When she saw Madam Chin continuing to struggle, Khasanah stepped on Madam Chin's body several times while holding on to the bathroom sink, until Madam Chin lay motionless on the floor," said State Coroner Kamala.

The maid then left the flat after taking her passport and some of her victims' valuables.

Mr Chia and Madam Chin, who were later found tied up and unconscious, were pronounced dead at around 4pm that same day.

Mr Chia had suffered blunt force trauma to his head, while Madam Chin had suffered blunt force trauma to her head and chest.

In her findings yesterday, State Coroner Kamala said the incident was one of unlawful killing perpetrated by Khasanah.

The maid went on trial in Indonesia between Feb 27, 2018 and May 2, 2018. She was later convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, but it was reduced to 20 years' jail on appeal.

The Straits Times visited the couple's home on Tuesday night. A man who was at the unit politely declined comment when approached. Neighbours said the couple have at least one son who continues to live in the flat.

Ms Wahidah Haron, a housewife in her 50s who has lived in the block for more than 20 years, described the elderly couple as gentle and considerate.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 03, 2020, with the headline Bedok murders: Maid hit man with stool and stomped on wife. Subscribe