SINGAPORE - It was about midnight when an Indonesian maid went to the bathroom and heard a woman's cries coming out from her neighbour's flat next door.

"The woman cried non-stop and she sounded so pitiful. I could hear her running in and out of her flat, but I didn't dare to open my door to check," she said.

Little did she know that a murder had taken place in her neighbour's ground-floor unit.

Police found a 26-year-old Singaporean man lying motionless in a three-bedroom apartment on the ground floor of Windermere condominium in Choa Chu Kang at about 11.16 pm on Monday.

The man was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The deceased's 21-year-old brother was arrested for the alleged murder. The suspect is believed to have suffered injuries and was taken to a hospital.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene past midnight, cries could be heard from inside the flat. A police hearse arrived and removed the body from the apartment at about 3.30am. Both the deceased's parents and Indonesian maid are believed to have left together with the hearse.

At about 7am on Tuesday, The Straits Times spoke to two other neighbours living on the ground floor in the same block. Both neighbours said they did not hear any commotion the night before.

The neighbours described the affected family as being quiet and friendly.They also kept to themselves.

By about 9am, news of the alleged murder has spread among the residents, who were overheard trying to probe for details from security guards on duty the night before.

Police have classified the case as murder, and investigations are ongoing.