Man charged in Singapore with unlawful possession of a gun after 38 years on the run
Man stopped in 1980 was arrested in Malaysia last week
By Alfred Chua
A 63-year-old man who fled Singapore for 38 years after he was found to allegedly possess a pistol has been charged.
Seow Lam Seng, a Singaporean, faces one count of unlawful possession of firearms, an offence punishable with life imprisonment.
The police said that, at around 2.30pm on Oct 3, 1980, Seow and his companion Lee Ah Fatt were stopped by officers along Tanjong Katong Road as they were behaving suspiciously.
Court documents revealed that the incident took place at Sin Po Po Bar at 241 Tanjong Katong Road.
Seow was allegedly found to have a pistol on him.
Lee, who was also said to have a pistol with him, drew it out from his back trouser pocket and pointed it at the police officers.
Lee’s act prompted one of the officers to open fire on him with his service revolver, but a struggle between Lee and the officers ensued.
Amid the chaos, Seow took off and escaped the scene. Lee later died from his injuries.
But after being on the run for 38 years, he was nabbed in Penang last Thursday with the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police.
He was extradited back to Singapore the next day.
In court on Monday, no plea was taken from Seow, who was dressed in an off-white polo T-shirt.
He will be remanded for further investigations and returns to court on April 2.
