Man, 88, assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt: 'Why did he punch my mum?'
Angelica Ang
The Straits Times
Jan 5, 2025
An 88-year-old man is assisting with police investigations, after he allegedly punched a woman in the head at City Hall MRT station on New Year's Eve.
Ms Saniah Ma'arop, 68, was heading to the MRT platform at about 4.30pm on Dec 31, 2024, when she encountered an elderly man, who was carrying bags of items, in the lift.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Jan 5, her son, Mr Eddie Khairul, claimed that one of the man's bags had touched his mother's leg.
Without warning, the man allegedly then turned towards Ms Saniah and punched her in the head, said Mr Khairul, 38.
Shocked, his mother kicked the man's bag in retaliation just as the lift doors opened, he added.
As the man walked away, Ms Saniah gave chase and snapped a photo of him before he boarded the train.
Feeling dizzy, she then approached SMRT staff at the passenger service centre to recount the incident.
The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force said they received a call for assistance at 150 North Bridge Road at about 5.30pm that day.
An 88-year-old man is assisting with investigations for voluntarily causing hurt, police said.
Mr Khairul said that he was first notified about the incident at 5.32pm.
His mother was returning home from work at the Supreme Court, where she is a cleaner, he added.
Ms Saniah was conscious when taken to Raffles Hospital. There, she underwent an MRI scan and was hospitalised for two nights for observation.
While his mother did not suffer any serious injuries, Mr Khairul said he remains puzzled about the man's actions.
In a Facebook post on Jan 1, he called on those with more details about the man to contact him.
"I know my mum's story, so I want to know his side of the story - why did he punch my mum?" he told ST.
"My mum had Parkinson's disease since I was six, so maybe she appeared to be shaking her head at the time," he said.
He added that his mother's hospital stay cost more than $4,000, but after government subsidies, the family paid about $180.
ST has contacted SMRT for more information.
