Ram Tiwary back in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Ram Tiwary, who was recently acquitted of murdering two flatmates in Sydney, has returned to Singapore.

Sydney immigration and Villawood immigration detention centre — where Tiwary was held since his acquittal, told Channel NewsAsia that Tiwary left the country on September 19.

In this exclusive report, Channel NewsAsia understood he has been in contact with his brother and friends, since returning home on September 19 this year.

The 33—year—old spent more than eight years behind bars in Australia.

Tiwary was accused of murdering Singaporeans Tay Chow Lyang and Tony Tan Poh Chuan, both aged 26, in 2003.

The two were stabbed and clubbed to death with a baseball bat.

Tiwary was on a scholarship from the Singapore Armed Forces.

Tiwary was acquitted by an Appeals Court in Australia on July 27 this year.

When contacted, Tiwary’s family members in Singapore declined to speak to Channel NewsAsia.

Since late July, Tiwary had been held at the Villawood immigration detention centre, while waiting for papers to return to Singapore.

There was speculation that he would be held longer while the Crown Prosecution decided if it wanted to appeal the acquittal.

On September 10, a Sydney appeals court found reasonable doubt that he had murdered his two flatmates.

The first pertained to the existence of three people in a car that picked up Tan.

The court said they were the last people to see Tan alive.

However, they did not come forward to help police despite media coverage asking them to do so.

The second area was the "dearth of forensic material" linking Tiwary to the death of his flatmates.

But Australian lawyers said Tiwary’s departure is an indication that the Crown will not be pursuing the case.

The prosecution has 28 days to appeal the acquittal, which will lapse in early October.

— CNA/fa