Yishun landlady arrested for brandishing knife on couple during money dispute, claims self-defence

Yishun landlady brandishes knife after woman allegedly kicked her, both under investigation

A dispute in Yishun between a couple and a landlady resulted in a knife being brandished.

The incident occurred on 10 Nov at around 7pm in a condo block.

46-year-old Mr Chen told Shin Min Daily News that he has been living in rented homes in Singapore for around 10 years since arriving from China. On 13 Oct, he saw an advertisement on the ‘Lion City (狮城) BBS’ website for a four-bedroom condo unit.

The unit’s rent was allegedly S$4,200 a month, nearly a thousand dollars cheaper than his current one.

Looking to check out this deal, he contacted the alleged landlady who put up the ad at around 9pm the same day.

She reportedly claimed that she was subletting the unit from another homeowner and could rent it to Mr Chen as long as the homeowner agreed.

After seeing the photos of the house, Mr Chen transferred a deposit of S$1,000 to the alleged landlady through PayNow.

On 14 Oct, he went to see the unit in person and discussed rental terms with the supposed landlady.

However, she contacted him a week later to tell him that the homeowner had refused to let her rent the unit out.

Mr Chen thus requested the return of his S$1,000 deposit, but he never got it back.

Knife allegedly brandished during argument

On 10 Nov, Mr Chen and his wife visited the landlady’s apartment at Yishun Street 51, allegedly with her consent.

He claimed that during the encounter, the landlady suddenly got agitated and struck his wife in an attempt to chase them out.

He said she then pulled out a knife to threaten them, resulting in him quickly calling the police.

A video by Mr Chen showed a woman in a white dress carrying a knife in one hand while talking on the phone with the other.

According to Shin Min, Mr Chen’s wife could be heard shouting at the landlady in the background.

However, the landlady alleged that she wielded the knife in self-defence.

She accused the couple of barging into her home, adding that she wanted them to leave after Mr Chen’s wife had spoken rudely to her. She also alleged that Mr Chen’s wife started hitting and kicking her, which scared her child.

Speaking to MS News, The police said that they had arrested a 45-year-old woman for criminal intimidation and seized a knife.

They added that a 47-year-old woman is assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt.

Yishun landlady accused of making excuses on deposit

Mr Chen accused the landlady of avoiding the return of his deposit for over three weeks.

He claimed she made several excuses such as being too busy and having to handle school fees.

Mr Chen said he would take the matter to the Small Claims Tribunal while leaving the issue with the knife to the police’s investigation.

The landlady, on the other hand, denied the accusations.

She claimed she always intended to return the money and showed a chat conversation with her father where she requested a transfer of S$10,000 for emergency use.

The landlady alleged that Mr Chen’s wife started being rude first during the dispute, including calling her a fraudster.

She also said she would apply for a personal protection order for herself and her child.

Also read: Man brandishes knife in Yishun kopitiam after being told to pay for straw, gets 1 month’s jail

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.