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Jan 15, 2010
Couple dead in hotel: Suicide
Chia Eng Soon, 43, a bankrupt, had borrowed money from illegal moneylenders and owed them about $13,000. He had also borrowed from relatives and could not control his gambling habit, an inquiry heard.
Chia and Yap Mui Teng, 39, were found lying motionless on a bed at Fragrance Hotel in Upper Serangoon Road last Aug 15, a few days after he had celebrated the birthday of his wife, Madam Ling Siew Hong, 46.
Yap was a close friend of Madam Ling for 30 years and was also Chia’s friend. On Aug 13, Chia and his wife checked into a hotel to avoid illegal moneylenders who might be looking for him. They left the next day and went home. Chia left at about 2pm and that was the last time Madam Ling saw him.
That evening, Chia called his wife and asked if she would commit suicide with Yap. She dismissed her husband as crazy. The court heard that Yap had a history of drug dependence and had been taking sleeping tablets since she was 19 because of insomnia.
On Friday, State Coroner Victor Yeo recorded a verdict of suicide on the two deaths.
Related posts:
- Marital woes and gambling debts contributed to man’s suicide (ST 10 Nov)
- Separate funerals for Malaysian murder-suicide couple (Sunday Times 21 Mar)
- Football gambling addict hangs himself (ST 23 Dec)
- Tragic murder-suicide case at Bedok North (Complete report, ST 20 Mar)
- Third MRT Suicide In Two Months: Man attempted suicide at Keat Hong LRT on 10 May (Alfresco Forums)
[...] Couple gambling suicide case (ST 15 Jan) [...]