The brawl happened at around 6am on Aug 20, 2023, outside Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall. - Photo: Shin Min Daily News file
SINGAPORE: A recalcitrant offender previously jailed for hurting others is back behind bars for assaulting a rival secret society member in a fatal brawl in Orchard Road in August 2023.
Visnu Suriamurthi, 28, was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Friday (Dec 20), after he pleaded guilty to one count of voluntarily causing hurt to Mohammad Isrrat Mohd Ismail.
He was also fined S$2,000 after admitting to a separate illegal gambling offence.
Isrrat, 29, was later stabbed to death by one of Visnu’s gang members in the brawl, which happened at around 6am on Aug 20, 2023, outside Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall.
Visnu was sent to jail twice in 2022 for voluntarily causing hurt, a record which District Judge Ong Luan Tze took into account during sentencing.
Judge Ong told Visnu: “You are still young... take some time to think about how you want your future to pan out, and after this case, to seriously consider not coming back to court.”
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kathy Chu said Visnu and eight other men involved in the brawl were from related secret society groups.
Before the brawl, the group – along with other friends – headed to several clubs, shared bottles of alcohol and became intoxicated.
Between 3.36am and 4.42am, the group arrived at Club Rumours at Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall. They were denied entry to the club as they had been permanently banned after injuring the club’s owner in a 2019 fight.
At that time, Isrrat and his friend, Muhammad Shahrulnizam Osman, 30, had also arrived at the club, where they used to work as bouncers.
They were members of another secret society that was a rival to Visnu’s gang.
Isrrat wanted to pass his wedding invitation card to the staff at the club.
When the club’s chief bouncer alerted other bouncers to the presence of Visnu and his gang, some of them, along with Shahrulnizam and Isrrat, armed themselves with knives.
At about 6am, as the club was closing, Isrrat suddenly started shouting abusive words at Visnu’s group. A fight subsequently broke out.
Shahrulnizam and Isrrat left the hotel while being chased by members of Visnu’s group. One of them, Sharvin Jay Nair, 26, punched and kicked Isrrat, while Visnu punched him at least twice.
This caused Isrrat to suffer bruises on his forearms, temples and neck, said DPP Chu.
Shahrulnizam then used a bread knife to slash Sharvin’s elbow and Visnu’s neck, forehead and chest. He also slashed another member from Visnu’s group, Abdul Rahman Gani Abdul Azeez, 34, on his hand.
Isrrat and Shahrulnizam then ran back to Concorde Hotel. A member of Visnu’s group, Asvain Pachan Pillai Sukumaran, then allegedly took Isrrat’s knife and stabbed him multiple times with it.
Asvain, 30, has been charged with Isrrat’s murder. His case is still before the courts.
Visnu admitted himself to a hospital to seek treatment and was arrested by police at the premises.
Visnu’s lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan said in mitigation that Isrrat and Shahrulnizam were armed at the time and had injured his client.
“It doesn’t justify what he has done, but... this is not an unprovoked attack (on) an unarmed person at the time,” said the lawyer of Visnu’s assault on Isrrat.
So far, more than 10 men have been hauled to court for their roles in the fatal brawl.
On Dec 4, Shahrulnizam was sentenced to two years and nine months’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane, after he pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon and abetting Isrrat to possess an offensive weapon. - The Straits Times/ANN
