On June 30, 2025, Singaporean man Kavind Raj Kannan, 25, was sentenced to two years and three months in jail and three strokes of the cane after pleading guilty to a rioting charge linked to a fatal assault that occurred outside the Concorde Hotel along Orchard Road. The attack took place in the early morning hours of August 20, 2023, and ultimately led to the death of 29-year-old Mohammad Isrrat Mohd Ismail.
Court documents revealed that Kavind was part of a group of 11 men, collectively referred to as the “rioting group.” Among them were members of a secret society, including Asvain Pachan Pillai Sukumaran, then 30, Sridharan Elangovan, then 30, and Manojkumar Velayanatham, then 32. Although Kavind was not affiliated with the gang, he actively participated in the assault.
The confrontation began when the rioting group, including Kavind, visited Club Rumours located inside the Concorde Hotel and Shopping Mall. At around 4:50am on August 20, 2023, the victim, Mr Isrrat, and his friend Muhammad Shahrulnizam Osman, then 31, who were former bouncers at Club Rumours, arrived to deliver wedding invitations. Both were reportedly members of another secret society.
Upon spotting members of the rioting group, the club’s chief bouncer Zurfaqar Musli, then 34, instructed Mohamad Zachary Danial Mohamad Azhar, then 23, to retrieve knives from a locker. Zachary returned with three knives: a watermelon knife given to Zurfaqar, a bread knife handed to Shahrulnizam, and a third knife he kept for himself. Mr Isrrat also armed himself with a blade.
When the club closed at 6:00am, verbal provocations erupted. Mr Isrrat and Shahrulnizam began shouting vulgarities at the rioting group. In response, an unidentified member of the group yelled a gang slogan, escalating the situation into a violent confrontation.
During the scuffle, Shahrulnizam slashed three members of the rioting group with his knife. He and Mr Isrrat fled, but the group gave chase. Mr Isrrat briefly stabbed one of the rioters in the forehead before continuing to run. He was eventually surrounded near an escalator inside the hotel where Kavind and five others attacked him, delivering multiple blows.
Mr Isrrat managed to flee but was cornered again near a glass door exit. Kavind grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him into the door, causing him to fall. Three others from the rioting group kicked him before he escaped to an outdoor area. The group continued the pursuit, with Kavind following behind.
Eventually, Mr Isrrat fell and dropped his knife. At that moment, Asvain picked up the weapon and stabbed him multiple times. Mr Isrrat was rushed to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but died shortly after arriving.
Following the fatal attack, five members of the rioting group including Kavind, Asvain, and Sridharan entered Sridharan’s nearby car. Asvain proposed fleeing to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Sridharan drove each man home to retrieve their passports. However, all five were arrested later that day at Woodlands Checkpoint.
On June 30, Kavind’s defence lawyers Amarick Gill and S. Ramanujen sought a sentence of no more than two years and two months, along with caning. They argued that the victim had initiated the confrontation by hurling vulgarities and that Kavind did not shout gang slogans or know of the victim’s secret society affiliation.
Sridharan, Manojkumar, and other members of the rioting group have previously been sentenced. The murder charge against Asvain Pachan Pillai Sukumaran is still pending.
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