Hougang knife attack

Hougang knife attack
Location	Kovan, Hougang, Singapore
Date	10 December 2024 (11am)
Attack type	stabbing and murder
Weapon	Knives
Deaths	1
Injured	2 (including perpetrator)
Motive	Unknown
Accused	Du Zaixing

On 10 December 2024, a stabbing incident occurred at a hardware store in Kovan, Hougang, Singapore, resulting in the death of a 32-year-old Vietnamese woman and the wounding of one 26-year-old man. The alleged motive behind the crime was due to a suspected monetary dispute between the suspect and the female victim Dao Thi Hong.

The suspect, Du Zaixing (杜再兴), an alleged ex-employee of the store and Chinese national who was similarly injured in the case, was arrested at the scene, and charged with murder on 12 December. The case, known as the Hougang knife attack, was classified as murder, and police investigations are currently ongoing.

Incident

Stabbings at Hougang

On the morning of 10 December 2024, at around 11am, a stabbing incident happened at a hardware store located in the neighbourhood of Kovan, Hougang, Singapore.

According to witnesses, at that time, a loud argument allegedly broke out at the hardware store. A man, who reportedly was a deliveryman and the store's ex-employee, allegedly took a knife to attack a 34-year-old woman, knifing her several times before she became unconscious. The 26-year-old male store manager tried to help the woman and stop the suspect, but he was also stabbed. The suspect was also hurt during the stabbing, and subsequently arrested at the scene. A source revealed that the suspect allegedly came from China, while the female victim was likely a Vietnamese national.

Reportedly, an ambulance arrived at the scene minutes after the attack, and two of the injured persons were taken to Changi General Hospital for treatment, and a third to Sengkang General Hospital. Based on the testimony of a witness, the female victim reportedly sustained seven to eight stab wounds and was in a comatose state, while the male victim was stabbed at least once in the abdomen. The area around the hardware store was said to be heavily cordoned for two hours by police officers.

Later that day, the 34-year-old female victim died from her injuries while in hospital. The 26-year-old male victim suffered liver damage and underwent surgery, and was no longer in a life-threatening situation as of 12 December.

The Hougang knife attack was the third alleged murder case to happen in less than two weeks, as well as Singapore's ninth case of murder in 2024. The first happened in Ang Mo Kio, where a 66-year-old man was charged with murdering a 67-year-old woman on 30 November 2024, while the second happened on 2 December 2024, where the body of a 30-year-old woman was found inside a HDB flat in Dover, with a male suspect currently on the run after Singaporean authorities placed him on the wanted list and sought foreign police assistance.

Background and identification of female victim

The female victim, identified as 32-year-old Dao Thi Hong, came from Hanoi, Vietnam. Hong was married with three children, and she alone came to Singapore to work since 2018 while her husband and three children (two daughters and one son) remained in Vietnam. Hong, who shared a flat with three roommates on the second floor of the hardware store, was described to be a kind and friendly woman who got along well with others. A friend of Hong, who also came from Hanoi and worked in Singapore, set up a makeshift alter behind the shop (which closed for the day) to pay respects to the victim a day after she was killed. Residents nearby the crime scene told the press that the area itself was normally peaceful and many people got along well with each other, and the incident shocked the community at large.

A day after her death, the surviving family members of Hong were reported to be coming to Singapore to retrieve her body. However, Hong's husband could not come in time since it took ten days to make a new passport in Vietnam. A male colleague of Hong's workplace came to the mortuary on the morning of 11 December to identify Hong's body. About seven family members and friends, including Hong's sister, arrived on the night itself to pay respects to Hong. Some members of the Vietnamese community in Singapore also came to offer condolences to the victim at her workplace, and donations were made by members of the public, for which the funds were meant for the education of Hong's children and family expenses.

Hong's remains were set to be repatriated to Vietnam for funeral rites on 14 December 2024.

Investigations

Indictment

After the death of Dao Thi Hong, the Singapore Police Force classified the Hougang stabbing case as murder. The Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore confirmed on 11 December 2024 that they would cooperate with the Singaporean authorities to investigate the case and motive for the attack.

According to the police, the 42-year-old suspect would be charged in court with murder on 12 December 2024. It was confirmed on the same day that the suspect received treatment at Sengkang General Hospital, and held in police custody at the same time for the crime.

On 12 December 2024, the suspect, identified as 42-year-old Chinese national Du Zaixing, was officially arraigned on one count of murder in the State Courts of Singapore. Du was ordered to be remanded for a week and he will be taken to the crime scene to re-enact the crime on a later date.

If found guilty of murder, Du will face the death penalty under Singaporean law.

Alleged motive

According to preliminary investigations and testimonies of witnesses, it was alleged that the killing of Hong was due to a previous dispute over medical fees. On a previous occasion, Hong accidentally hit Du, a former co-worker of Hong, with a wheelbarrow and his leg was injured. Du allegedly confronted Hong and wanted to exhort S$100,000 in cash from her to settle his medical expenses. Hong's boss intervened, provided him a sum of money for his medical fee and transferred him to another branch of the hardware store to work. However, Du allegedly did not get along with his co-workers in the new workplace, and the boss intended to send him back to China. It was speculated that the monetary dispute over this incident culminated into the stabbings of both Hong and her 26-year-old male colleague.

See also

• List of major crimes in Singapore