SINGAPORE – An Indonesian maid who killed an elderly couple in 2017 claimed she had only wanted to run away, and that the double murders happened during a scuffle.

Khasanah, who goes by only one name, told Indonesian police in the course of their investigation that she had been unhappy working for Madam Chin Sek Fah, 78, and Mr Chia Ngim Fong, 79.

Among other things, she said that Madam Chin often scolded her.

These details were revealed on Wednesday (Sept 2) in a coroner’s inquiry into the deaths of the elderly couple.

Khasanah had stated that she decided to flee to Batam on June 21, 2017, after spotting her passport in a bedroom of the couple’s executive flat at Block 717 Bedok Reservoir Road, said State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam.

The Indonesian, who was 41 then, said Mr Chia was sleeping at the time. She had planned to tie him up but he woke up and started screaming.

Khasanah told police in Indonesia that she then hit him before Madam Chin confronted her.

After a scuffle, Madam Chin fell onto the floor. Khasanah said she then stepped on Madam Chin’s body before leaving the flat.

The couple was later found tied up and unconscious. Mr Chia had suffered blunt force trauma to his head, while Madam Chin suffered blunt force trauma to her head and chest.

On Wednesday, State Coroner Kamala found the incident to be one of unlawful killing.

Khasanah was arrested in Indonesia and went on trial there between Feb 27 and May 2, 2018. She was later convicted of the murders and sentenced to life imprisonment, but it was reduced to 20 years’ jail on appeal.

Khasanah, who is from Java, had worked for the couple for about a month before the murders.

After the incident, she left for Indonesia via ferry from HarbourFront Centre at 1.20pm on the day of the incident. She also took some items belonging to the couple.

She was in an Internet cafe in Indonesia when she was overheard talking to somebody over the phone about her offences.

Indonesian police were alerted and on June 28, 2017, she was arrested in Tungkal Ilir, in Jambi province in Sumatra after police raided her room at Hotel Nanber.

Tungkal Ilir is a town in West Tanjung Jabung, about a three-hour drive from provincial capital Jambi and more than 300km from Singapore.

Among the items found in her possession were several pieces of jewellery, watches, mobile phones, a laptop computer and cash amounting to no more than $300 in various currencies.

Khasanah was not handed over to the authorities in Singapore even though her offences were committed here.

Instead, the Indonesian national police worked with the Singapore Police Force to solve the crime, The Straits Times previously reported.

Khasanah was not sent to Singapore due to the principle of personaliteit, which requires any Indonesian arrested in the country for a crime committed overseas to be processed in Indonesia instead of being sent to the jurisdiction where the offence took place.

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