SINGAPORE: Two 18-year-old men suspected of fatally stabbing a 25-year-old Singaporean student in the city centre of Brussels on Nov 7 will remain in detention, according to Belgian media.
One of them appeared before Belgium’s council chamber on Friday (Nov 29), where his pre-trial detention was extended by a month, local media outlet Bruzz reported.
The second suspect had appeared before the council chamber on Nov 13, where his pre-trial detention was also extended by a month.
The duo were arrested for manslaughter.
B. Aravind Pillay was stabbed in the abdomen and taken to hospital, where he died, according to a statement from the Brussels Public Prosecutor’s Office that same day.
The Brussels police received a call for assistance at Sint-Pietersstraat, a street in the Belgian capital, at 2.30am, according to local reports.
According to Bruzz’s Nov 29 report, Aravind was with two female students from Brussels that night when the trio were approached by the two suspects along Sint-Pietersstraat, where a student residence that housed the two women was located.
After the stabbing, Aravind’s companions called emergency services while the suspects fled.
An earlier media report from Bruzz, a non-profit online publication which also has radio and television platforms, citing a source close to the investigation, said the victim was alone when the two suspects approached him, with one of them allegedly pulling out a knife.
“The first elements of the investigation show that the victim was approached by the two suspects and that an argument resulted in a stabbing,” said Public Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Yasmina Vanoverschelde said on Nov 7.
The two suspects were identified and detained by the Brussels police after house searches.
Aravind left for Belgium on Nov 7, 2023, to complete his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering.
His body was flown back to Singapore for a wake, which was held at his family home in the eastern part of Singapore from Nov 10. He was cremated the next day.
Aravind’s family was heartened by the outpouring of condolences from his friends.
His family told Tamil Murasu: “It speaks volumes about the kind of person Aravind was. He was truly an embodiment of love, touching countless lives with his kindness, warmth and unwavering friendship.” - The Straits Times/ANN
