MS Unsolved: The murder of Ramapiram Kannickaisparry
MS Unsolved is a series that hopes to raise awareness of cold cases in Singapore and generate new leads. If you have any information on the cases, reach out to MS News or the police.
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On the evening of 17 April 1995, a jogger discovered a horrifying sight in Sembawang: the heavily mutilated body of a woman, with 13 stab wounds to her face and head, multiple bruises and abrasions, and fractures in her jaw and ribs.
Tyre marks on her clothes suggest she had also been run over repeatedly by a vehicle.
The victim was identified as Ramapiram Kannickaisparry, a 39-year-old employee at Apple Computer. A series of events followed that led to a man being arrested, charged with murder, but later acquitted. Here are the details.
Victim was having an affair with a married man
Sembawang. Source: Wikipedia
A court report said that five or six years before her murder, Ramapiram had had an affair with Nadasan Chandra Secharan, a golf club mechanic and the younger brother of her brother-in-law.
The affair stopped when Ramapiram’s family found out and confronted Nadasan, who was then 41 years old. However, their relationship resumed after five or six months.
A 1996 report from The Straits Times mentioned that Ramapiram had a heated argument with her husband over the affair in 1991. They separated, reconciled for a time, then separated again.
Ramapiram was living with her younger sister Katsuri at the time of her death, the court report said.
Ramapiram called her lover multiple times on the day of her murder
Details mentioned in the report revealed that Ramapiram called Nadasan’s workplace multiple times on the morning of the day she died. One such call was answered by Nadasan’s coworker, who called him over.
Nadasan and Ramapiram had a conversation, after which Ramapiram told him she would call him again sometime at noon. She did not do so.
Ramapiram was last seen alive by her coworker at 12.15pm on 17 April 1995, leaving her office. Nadasan said he left his workplace around the same time to go home for lunch.
However, he claimed his van broke down on the way, and he stopped to repair it. By the time he finished, it was already 1.45pm, so he decided to go back to work.
Nadasan’s supervisor confirmed that Nadasan did call to inform him of this incident during this period. Nadasan also called his wife explaining why he didn’t return home for lunch.
That evening, Nadasan said he went to the Balasubramaniam temple on Canberra Road at 5pm, where he had a makeshift garage. He said he wanted to check his van again and clean it of the oil and dirt from the earlier repair.
He reportedly sprayed water on the whole van and wiped the exterior and driver’s cabin with a piece of cloth.
Nadasan was arrested at his home in Yishun on 20 April 1995, said an article from The Straits Times. The allegations had it that he met Ramapiram at lunchtime and murdered her, then returned to work. Afterwards, he cleaned his van to remove any discriminating evidence.
He was sentenced to death
Source: The New Paper via National Library Board
Nadasan trial’s before the Singapore High Court began on 11 January 1996. He was charged with murder and sentenced to death. Multiple pieces of evidence were presented to support the decision.
Firstly, an expert on the prosecution’s side testified that the tyre skid marks found at the crime scene matched Nadasan’s van.
Secondly, a tooth fragment was found inside the van. A DNA test conducted on the sample suggested that it “likely” belonged to Ramapiram.
Thirdly, there were also pieces of jewellery recovered from the van, which were allegedly worn by the victim on the day of her death.
Fourthly, the prosecution said the problem with Nadasan’s van could not have taken him more than an hour to fix. A Grade I mechanic would’ve repaired the vehicle in 20 minutes.
Nadasan went on to appeal the sentence.
Evidence hotly contested
Source: The New Paper via National Library Board
At the Court of Appeal, each piece of the prosecution’s evidence was contested, according to a report from The Straits Times.
Regarding the tyre marks at the crime scene, the appeal judges felt that the method used by the prosecution expert was not “sufficiently rigorous” to conclude that they had been left by Nadasan’s van.
From what the court report said, after determining that two out of the 6 skid marks found at the crime scene “could” come from Nadasan’s van, the expert conducted a survey of vehicles at different car parks and concluded that if Nadasan’s van hadn’t caused the marks, the probability that another vehicle had the same characteristics was only one out of 133 — a small possibility.
However, the court found that the survey was unreliable as the survey sample was not large enough, and the selection method was not properly established.
Hence, the court felt that the prosecution had not produced sufficient evidence to place Nadasan’s van at the crime scene.
Mr Subhas Anandan, Nadasan’s lawyer. Source: Wikipedia
For the DNA test conducted on the tooth fragment, there were blood or cellular materials on the fragment’s surface, which yielded a “mixed profile” that suggested that there could be multiple DNA contributors. The sample, therefore, might have been contaminated.
Furthermore, even if the tooth fragment indeed belonged to Ramapiram, there was no evidence that it was broken off on the day of her murder, the report said.
Nadasan claimed there were occasions when he and Ramapiram consumed food and drinks inside the van. Ramapiram had a habit of using her teeth to open bottled drinks — a fact confirmed by her husband, according to a news report. The tooth fragment could have broken off during one of these occasions.
The jewellery pieces were also very common and could not be reliably confirmed as having belonged to Ramapiram. Nadasan said his van was used by various people to ferry passengers on multiple occasions. Anyone could have dropped similar items.
Chief Justice Yong Pung How was quoted by The Straits Times saying that the defence’s explanations behind the tooth fragment and jewellery pieces were reasonable.
As for why Nadasan took so long to repair the van, it was argued that Nadasan was never established as a Grade I mechanic, and neither was he in a hurry. It was not unreasonable for him to take his time.
He was acquitted and returned to his family
Nadasan and his family. Source: The New Paper via National Library Board
With all the presented evidence found wanting, no other incriminating evidence such as blood, hair, or human tissues were found in the van, on Nadasan’s clothes and tools, or at his garage, reported The Straits Times.
As such, Nadasan was acquitted of the murder charge on 13 January 1997. The same day, he was released and reunited with his family, who had forgiven him for the affair.
Following his ordeal, Nadasan told The New Paper that he planned to look for a job as a mechanic again and start anew, selling his van and all of his old clothes as he was “pantang” (superstitious). “I will never fool around again. This has taught me a big lesson,” he said.
After Nadasan’s release, no other suspect was arrested. To this day, The murder of Ramapiram remains classified as unsolved.
Also read: The case of Felicia Teo: Missing student whose fate was only revealed after 13 years
The case of Felicia Teo: Missing student whose fate was only revealed after 13 years
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Featured image adapted from The New Paper via National Library Board
