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Woodlands deaths: Neighbours thought family was on holiday

SINGAPORE — Not only did more than a week pass before the remains of Mdm Choong Pei Shan was discovered in her Woodlands flat after she died, her body, as well as that of her daughter, were found burnt.

The wake of Mdm Choong Pei Shan and her daughter Teo Zi Ning on Jan 31, 2017. Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY

The wake of Mdm Choong Pei Shan and her daughter Teo Zi Ning on Jan 31, 2017. Photo: Wee Teck Hian/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Not only did more than a week pass before the remains of Mdm Choong Pei Shan was discovered in her Woodlands flat after she died, her body, as well as that of her daughter, were found burnt.

Neighbours had not seen Mdm Choong and her daughter Teo Zi Ning, four, for days, but assumed the family had decided to spend Chinese New Year away from home.

Only when the police turned up on Saturday (Jan 28), the first day of the celebration, did they realise that something had gone awry.

Mdm Choong, who was six months pregnant with a boy, and Zi Ning were found dead in the bedroom of the sixth-storey flat in Block 619 Woodlands Drive 52. Her husband, property agent Teo Ghim Heng, 41, was arrested that day and charged on Monday with her murder.

Court papers revealed that Teo had allegedly killed her a week earlier on Jan 20, between 8am and 11am.

Speaking to TODAY, Mdm Zai, 47, a neighbour living on the same floor, said her husband had asked about Mdm Choong as he had not seen the family in the last few days.

“(But) because Chinese New Year was coming and we thought maybe the family went somewhere (to spend the New Year),” added Mdm Zai, who declined to reveal her full name.

Her family also smelt something burning earlier on Saturday, but did not realise anything was wrong until the police turned up that evening, after receiving a call at around 6.30pm from Mdm Choong’s brother, Gordon Choong, who was on the scene when the police arrived.

Teo was believed to be in the flat and opened the door when the authorities were outside. He was later seen being led away in handcuffs by the police.

Another neighbour, Ms Shanthani, 23, said a week before Saturday, her mother had met a woman claiming to be Teo’s colleague who had turned up at his flat to look for him. The woman said Teo had not turned up for work or returned their call.

On Saturday’s discovery, she said: “I was very shocked ... it’s very unbelievable, I actually thought they went somewhere but they were apparently in the house.”

Neighbours described Mdm Choong as a quiet person with whom they exchanged greetings with whenever they ran into her. Several paid their respects at the wake held at the void deck of their block on Tuesday.

Mr Choong, who is in his 40s, told TODAY that his sister, the second of three siblings, was kind-hearted and loved her daughter dearly.

The IT officer said he was still shocked by what had happened — more so after he learned that his sister was allegedly murdered days before her body was discovered.

Quoting a Mandarin idiom about how even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs, Mr Choong said: “How could this happen?”

But he declined to comment on his sister’s relationship with her husband, or on Saturday’s events. “This is the best I can do for my sister, to focus on (the funeral arrangements) and not answer these questions for now,” he said. His parents and youngest sister declined to speak to the media.

An ex-colleague, who wanted to be known only as Joanna, said before leaving her job to look after her daughter in 2012, Mdm Choong had spent 10 years as a personal assistant in insurance firm AXA. Mdm Choong had been very patient when teaching her the ropes, she added.

Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC Vikram Nair, who paid his respects to the two victims on Tuesday night, said that neighbours should alert the police if they sense something suspicious. “Ultimately neighbours are the best security, you know what’s happening around you,” he added.

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