S'porean man who flaunted wealth dies after being beaten by robbers in Johor

S'porean man who flaunted wealth dies after being beaten by robbers in Johor

He thought his big size would scare attackers

By Arul John
April 23, 2009

HE LOOKED the part of a prosperous butcher, standing at 1.85m and weighing more than 150kg.


FINAL FAREWELL: A relative, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Narayanasamy, paying her respects at Mr Kalai Arasan's altar. TNP PICTURE: NG XI JIE

His intimidating size was part of the reason he had ignored advice against flaunting his gold jewellery, including chains and rings on each of his fingers.

Add to that image a gruff voice, and Singaporean mutton butcher Kalai Arasan Thorasamy, 42, would not be a person to mess with.

His nephew, labour supply contractor Veerafena Nadarajan, 37, said: 'He used to wear gold chains and rings when he visited me in Kulai. He also used to carry thousands of ringgit on him.'

He said he was worried about his uncle being robbed and had told him not to wear so much jewellery and carry so much cash when visiting him.

'But he disregarded my advice. He said his huge size would deter any robbers,' said MrVeerafena.

The victim's elder brother, Mr Manimaran, had also warned him about the dangers of flaunting his wealth when he was across the Causeway.

But he also did not listen to his brother.

Ten days ago, he was brutally attacked and killed in Kulai, Johor, a victim of a suspected robbery.

Police are still investigating the incident. No arrests have been made so far.

His body was brought back to Singapore two days later and he was cremated the next day.

Strong but gentle

His nephew said he was 'built like a tank' and it would not be easy to get past him or knock him down.

But beneath that exterior was a softie.

His cousin, Madam Tellaga Sandaragasen, 39, said: 'He never refused a chance to help anyone. Despite his big frame and rough voice, he had a soft heart.'

Madam Tellaga said her cousin was a pious and jovial man who loved children.

For nearly 15 years, she said, he went on an annual pilgrimage to Sabarimalai, in the Indian state of Kerala, to pray to the deity Lord Ayyappan.

She said: 'Before leaving, he would observe austerities for over 40 days. He would also invite me and the other family members to write their wishes and he would present them to Lord Ayyappan.'

Mr Manimaran, 48, said his brother, the youngest of seven children, believed in living for the present.

He said: 'He enjoyed having fun and drinks with his friends but never got drunk or involved in fights.'

Madam Tellaga said: 'He loved my three children as if they were his own kids, giving them advice and buying them gifts.'

He'd yearned to have children. But it was not to be - his only child, a baby girl named Sharani, died after being born six months premature.

He and his wife, who had a good relationship, never had any children after that.

As a memorial to his dead daughter, Mr Kalai Arasan named his mutton stall after her.

The stall, Sharani Mutton Shop, is in the wet market at Henderson Road.

He worked there from Tuesday to Sunday, between 6am to 2pm.

Generous

Mr Manimaran said: 'He would help the other stallholders and give them gifts during Deepavali. If anyone could not pay for their mutton, he said they could pay him later.

'He would also give extra mutton to anyone who needed it.'

Mr Kalai Arasan left school after completing his Primary 6 education.

He tried his hand at various jobs before joining his brothers to sell mutton.

Mr Manimaran said: 'But that business later went into debt and he left to work in various jobs, including being a waiter. He opened his mutton shop two years ago, and it did well.'

Madam Tellaga claimed his annual earnings was about $40,000.

With the money he was earning, Mr Kalai Arasan felt it was time to enjoy a few luxuries.

Soon after the mutton stall began doing well, he bought gold jewellery like chains and rings.

Madam Tellaga said each of his fingers had a gold ring. Before he died, he had ordered two gold rings for his thumbs too. The rings were ready the day after he was cremated.

He also bought a new Toyota Wish car, and visited Malaysia about once a fortnight to get accessories for his car, fill up on petrol, visit relatives and buy groceries.

He also started carrying lots of cash with him.

Mr Manimaran said: 'He said that while we could, we should not be afraid to live happily, the best way we could.'

And Mr Kalai Arasan figured that no one would dare to rob him because of his size.

But 12 Apr proved him wrong.

Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,199706,00.html?