SINGAPORE — It was the threat of harm befalling his family back home in Pakistan that forced him to help his friend in killing a roommate, alleged murderer Rasheed Muhammad said on Tuesday (Nov 15), as he took the stand for the first time in the high-profile legless body in a suitcase trial.

Together with Ramzan Rizwan, 27, the 45-year-old is accused of murdering Muhammad Noor, whom they had both lost money to through gambling.

But Rasheed told the court yesterday that he had recouped his losses from Muhammad, 59, by the night of the alleged murder at a Rowell Road lodging house on June 11, 2014. According to him, Ramzan had not, and “whatever he needed to do to get his money back, he will do it”.

Ramzan also threatened to harm his family if he did not lend “support”, Rasheed claimed.

The two men are accused of strangling the victim, swiping S$6,000 from him, then dismembering his body, which they dumped in two suitcases. All three are from Pakistan and were here to sell tissue paper for a living.

On Tuesday, Rasheed described the victim, who was his distant relative, as a close friend but also a conniving, hardened gambler that his family had warned him about.

By coincidence, they departed their hometown for Singapore separately on the same day but ended up sharing a room in the Little India lodging house.

Speaking through a translator, Rasheed said Muhammad would skip meals so he could gamble.

“My family knew his character ... My wife used to call me (and say), ‘You are there to work. Worry about (our) daughters’.”

Still, Rasheed gambled with him. He told the court he initially lost, but turned a profit of S$200 to S$300 subsequently and decided to call it quits.

Ramzan, however, lost an unknown sum of money to Muhammad and first spoke about recovering the money by any means three days before the alleged crime, according to Rasheed.

“He told me he had lost his money and whatever he needed to do to get his money back, he will do it ... I freaked out and told him I couldn’t help ... I understood it to mean he’ll go to any extent — fight, cause harm, kill,” said Rasheed.

On June 11, Rasheed said he called his co-accused at 1am and made it clear he wanted to have nothing to do with the scheme, even though he admitted that he had no idea what was being planned.

Rasheed said Ramzan came to the room anyway and lunged at the victim. Muhammad fell over on top of him and Ramzan piled on top, he added.

Rasheed claimed that Ramzan smothered the victim with a shirt, then strangled him with a string. Rasheed said that he held onto the victim’s legs and neck, and strangled and choked him as well.

Within minutes, Muhammad was not moving.

“The room is cold inside, but I was sweating profusely and I was shaking and shivering,” said Rasheed.

Asked by his lawyer why he did not stop Ramzan, Rasheed said: “That was my mistake. Had I only feared God and not let him do that, rather than fear him and comply with what he asked me to do.”

During cross-examination, Ramzan’s lawyer R S Bajwa said that his client had played a supporting role by smothering the victim, although he stopped when he heard Muhammad shouting.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Ong Luan Tze pointed out that Rasheed had ample time to pull out of the murder ploy and could have locked the room to keep Ramzan out.

The trial continues.