Suspect Iskandar Rahmat declared a bankrupt a day after committing murder

Iskandar Rahmat was declared bankrupt a day after committing the gruesome murders of Tan Boon Sin and his son Tan Chee Heong.

According to various sources, Iskandar was facing financial difficulties due to his domestic situation. He apparently owed more than $60,000 with a local bank. His debts were not due to gambling but believed to be related to mismanagement of his personal finances. 

Iskandar, single, is staying with his parents in a HDB flat in Toa Payoh. When reporters went to his house, they saw a young woman in the flat but occupants refused to be interviewed.

A Chinese tabloid reported that his father was working as a taxi driver while CNA said that he was a scooter enthusiast.   

It is unclear if Iskandar was motivated by money or otherwise. 

Bedok policeman committed murder because of gay relationship?

The policeman accused of the Kovan double murders is alleged to be in gay affair with the younger victim, Tan Chee Heong, and could have killed because of passion.

According to Malaysian newspaper, The New Straits Times, Iskandar Rahmat, a 14 years veteran of the Singapore Police Force, could have been romantically involved with younger victim, Tan Chee Heong. Tan was stabbed and dragged to his death by a getaway vehicle driven by Iskandar.

Iskandar was an Investigating Officer at the Bedok Police Station holding the rank of Senior Staff Sergeant. At the time of the crime, he was removed from his position and facing disciplinary proceedings, as he was facing financial difficulties and domestic problems.

Iskandar, a former poster boy for the Singapore Police Force, was the investigating officer when the older victim, Tan Boon Sin, made a theft report at the Bedok Police Station in November 2012. He was later removed from the case but authorities did not shed any light on this matter or the exact relationship between the murder suspect and his victims.

During the press conference, Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee said, "I cannot remember the last time a murder suspect was also a police officer. You may have seen this kind of thing depicted in the movies and on TV, but when it happens for real, it hits you like a freight train." He added, "When I was first told that the murder suspect could be one of our own, my initial reaction was disbelief, swiftly followed by anger and anguish."

Iskandar was arrested at a restaurant in Danga Bay, Johor, at 1130pm last night, after crossing into Malaysia  around 11pm on Wednesday night on a green colored Vespa scooter.  

Iskandar is not the first policeman to get into trouble recently. In August 2012, police superintendent Tan Wee Kiat was jailed 12 weeks for having paid sex with an under-18 years-old prostitute. Subsequently, CNB Director, Ng Boon Gay was acquitted for his sex-for-contracts case. In April 2013, Staff Sergeant Prathivan Ramaya, 32, was charged for getting sexual favours from an accused in return for leniency in the investigation of a theft case.     

If members of the police force are not able to abide by the law then how can Singaporeans trust them to enforce the law?    

Iskandar Rahmat, a former poster boy for the Singapore Police Force

Iskandar Rahmat, middle, being led away by police officers

New Straits Times report

Police have yet to release picture of suspect more than 48 hours after the crime

More than 48 hours after the crime and Police have yet to released a picture of a suspect even as it appears that they have a good idea of the killer.

The Police have collected a large amount of evidence on the crime scene, they have numerous witnesses. They also have the CCTV recording inside the house and very likely lifted fingerprints from the abandoned Toyota Camry. However, it is unclear why they have not released a picture of the suspect as the killer remains at-large.

Five key issues remain unsolved:

1. What is the relationship between the victims and killer? Were they acquainted? There were no signs of break-in at the house.

2. What did the Tan family quarrel about previously that led to the Police being called in on 3 occasions? Are the quarrels related to the murders?

3. The older Tan Boon Sin left work early and retrieved some valuables from his safe deposit box. What did he retrieve? Are they connected to his death?

4. The place where the Toyota Camry was abandoned was only about 7 minutes walk from Tan's old workshop before it moved to Kaki Bukit. The car was not abandoned in a rush as it was parked properly. Did the killer purposely left it there?

5. The knife or weapon that killed the Tans still cannot be found.

Meanwhile, the occupants of 14J, Hillside Drive, where the murder occurred, has been vacated. 

Ancestors of the Kovan double murder victims bought the street and built houses

According to the Chinese tabloids, the ancestors of the Tan family bought a street and built about 5 to 6 houses including the unit 14J where the murder took place. 

These houses are believed to be still occupied by the siblings of Tan Boon Sin, the older victim. Each house is valued about $3.5m to $5m. 

Besides the Toyota Camry with license plate "14J", the family has at least two other cars, a Renault and Toyota jeep, with similar plate "14J". 

Together with his son, Tan Chee Heong, Tan Boon Sin operates a car workshop. Employees, friends and neighbours spoke well of the older Tan, describing as a "good man", "kind" and "helpful". 

Tan Chee Heong is the oldest son with a sister and brother. Neighbours describe them as filial, paying frequent visit to their parents' home. Every Wednesday, the daughter would come to visit and clean up the house. Their other son is working in Indonesia. 

Tan Chee Heong is survived by his wife and two male chidren. His wife is believed to be an air stewardess and the two children are aged 3 and 10. The 3 year-old son is still unaware that his father and grandfather have been murdered. 

Killer and weapon no where to be found

There is little clue of how the killer looks or his whereabouts after more than 24 hours after the gruesome Kovan double murders. He is only known to be a man in his 50s. 

Our efficient police are still looking for murderer and despite managing to find the abandoned Toyota Camry that was used a getaway car, the murder weapon is no where to be found.

The Camry had numerous blood stains leading the Chinese tabloids to speculate if the murderer himself was hurt. It was believed that the murderer fought with the two victims before inflicting fatal knife wounds to the head of the elder Tan and neck of the son. 

It was reported that there were 5 cases of break-ins around the Hillside area within two months but no indication that they are connected with the murders. Meanwhile, MP for the area Chen Show Mao visited the grieving family for about 10 minutes before leaving. He is said to live in the vicinity and walked over to the scene.  

Heroics of security guard could not prevent tragedy

About twenty cars blasted their horns, but the killer wasn't intending to stop as he was making his getaway. A security guard from a nearby mosque, jumped on his motorcycle, chased up to getaway car and hit the car forcefully trying to get the killer to stop.

Unfortunately, the motorcyclist heroics could not save the life of Tan Chee Heong. Apparently, Tan was dragged face down for more than 1 km. His face and head was very badly damaged with raw flesh showing while his eyes were wide open when he died.  Before Tan was ran over by the car, his suffered at least one stab wound to the neck .

Police have seized CCTV recordings installed at the house of the deceased and at the SPC petrol kiosk along the main road. They may have captured the gruesome murders.

Kovan Double Murder: Killer acquainted with victims

According to Chinese tabloids, it seems that the Kovan killer was acquainted with the victims. There were no signs of break in, all the locks in the house were intact while it was rumored that the killer was known to the victims.

Although the police have classified the case as murder, it is still unclear if the killer was a robber or was looking to settle a feud with the Tans. The father, Tan Boon Sin, 67, was found dead in his home at 14J Hillside Drive while his son, Tan Chee Heong, 42, was dragged for more than 1 km along Upper Serangoon Rd outside Kovan MRT.

According to eye-witnesses, there was fighting, screaming and banging of furniture inside the house before the tragedy happen. A neighbor said when she cycled past the house around 3pm, she heard people quarreling but she thought it was just a domestic squabble.

Neighbors also shared that about 7 or 8 months ago, the family had some disputes and police were called in. The most recent incident was about 3 to 4 months ago. It is unknown if the disputes were linked to the murder.