SINGAPORE — It was an uneventful night for Mr Manoj Prabhoda Chandran, who was up till the wee hours of Thursday (March 4) morning working at his home in Tiong Bahru.

So it came as a shock when he opened the door at around 11am to find the police, who wanted to know if he had heard anything unusual coming from the apartment beside him. He had not.

The 34-year-old television producer then saw four or five police officers going door-to-door speaking to other residents.

The police told TODAY that they had been alerted to a case of unnatural death at Block 10A Boon Tiong Road at around 10.10am on Thursday.

When they arrived, they found a 57-year-old woman lying motionless within the unit, which was beside Mr Manoj’s. She was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.

The police did not provide further details, including the identity of the woman, as investigations are ongoing.

Mr Manoj met his neighbour when he and his wife moved in about five years ago.

He told TODAY that he had not got to know her well, and did not know her name.

The woman lived alone most recently, though a younger man and a woman had lived with her at various times. Mr Manoj was uncertain if they were related.

“She was a very friendly person, always willing to talk and asking if I had makan (Malay for eaten) already,” said Mr Manoj of the times they crossed paths. He last saw her about a month ago.