Fatal Stabbing in Yishun Believed to be Over Noise Dispute

 

A woman has died following a violent altercation between neighbours at a Housing Board block in Yishun on the morning of September 24. The incident, which is believed to have stemmed from a long-standing dispute, also left her husband and the alleged attacker seriously injured.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed they received a call for assistance at Block 323 Yishun Central at approximately 7:25 AM. Emergency responders transported three individuals with serious injuries to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. The woman was later pronounced dead. The other two individuals are her husband and the alleged assailant, who has been arrested by the police.

Eyewitness accounts and evidence at the scene painted a grim picture of the violence. A resident, a 69-year-old business owner who wished to be known only as Mr Koh, reported hearing screams and a commotion around 7:00 AM. Upon investigating the sixth floor, he discovered an unconscious woman lying near the lift, severely wounded and drenched in blood. He witnessed her husband attempting to fight off a man armed with a knife while simultaneously calling for someone to perform CPR on his wife. Mr Koh stated he then saw the husband get stabbed in the chest area.

The scene on the sixth floor was cordoned off by police. Evidence markers were placed next to a knife, a watch, a mobile phone, a set of car keys, and a slipper on the bloodied floor. Bloodstains were visible in the lift lobby, inside the lifts, and on the ground floor, indicating the extent of the struggle. Another resident reported seeing a woman in a panic running to a neighbouring block to retrieve a defibrillator.

According to neighbours, the dispute had been ongoing for years. A 65-year-old retiree living on the ninth floor, Mr Ismail, suggested the conflict was related to noise from the couple's two young children, believed to be around two and five years old. He described the couple as keeping to themselves and noted that the estate is typically peaceful. Residents indicated the couple had lived there for about two years, while the alleged attacker had been a resident for a longer period.

This tragic event occurs amid a noted increase in physical crime. Official statistics show 75 knife-related incidents were reported in the first half of 2025, compared to 59 cases in the same period in 2024. The total number of physical crime cases from January to June 2025 was 10,341, reflecting an increase from the 9,809 cases reported in the first half of the previous year. Police investigations are ongoing.