Indian-origin man charged in knife attack in Singapore

Singapore, Sep 11 : A 39-year-old Indian-origin man was charged on Monday for allegedly attacking another man with a knife, leaving a deep cut on the victims shoulder, the police said.

Michael Nganasekaran, who was arrested on Sunday for allegedly attacking 40-year-old Shanmugam Vegatachalam, was charged in court with one count of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

Police said they were alerted to a case of a fight at the vicinity of Jalan Besar on September 9 .

According to preliminary investigations, Nganasekaran was believed to have been involved in a dispute with Vegatachalam, and allegedly used a knife to attack him.

Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from police cameras, officers from Central Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him within eight hours, a Singapore Police statement read.

Two knives and the victim’s shirt were seized as case exhibits, police said, adding that Nganasekaran was charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code, 1871.

Vegatachalam allegedly suffered a 2 cm cut on his left shoulder, according to The Straits Times.

In a statement, the Singapore police said it has "zero tolerance for such brazen acts of violence and (it) will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law".

"The Police would also like to remind members of the public that it is an offence to carry an offensive and/or scheduled weapon in a public place," the statement read.

The offence of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years, a fine, caning, or any combination of such punishments.

Speaking via a Tamil interpreter in court on Monday, Nganasekaran said that he did not intentionally cause hurt to the victim, who also had a knife in his hand, The Times reported.He told the court that he was running a company, and claimed there was a third person involved in the incident, and that the other two men were armed with a knife each.

The court granted permission for Nganasekaran to be remanded for investigations, and he will return to court next Monday.

mi/vd