Islandwide manhunt for missing gunman Victim may have known 'one-eyed dragon'
By Seto Nu-Wen
February 17, 2006
THE killer seemed to have been familiar with the family's movements.
Roadblocks were set up on major roads and the Police Dog Unit was called in as the search for the killer turned into an islandwide manhunt. --Pics/GAVIN FOO
He was lying in wait for the door to open at about 7am.
That was the time the maid would take Mr Lim Hock Soon's 13-year-old daughter to school.
The police believe that Mr Lim, 41, knew the one-eyed killer.
At press time the killer is still at large.
The nightmare began when the killer forced his way through the front door of the four-room flat just as Mr Lim's daughter was about to go to school.
The family was taken by surprise.
At that time, the maid and the couple's daughter were about to leave.
The gunman, a Chinese in his late 30s or 40s, is described as plump and about 1.7m tall.
He is even dubbed the 'one-eyed dragon' (du yan long) because he is blind in his right eye.
He fired six shots using a semi-automatic pistol at Mr Lim and calmly walked out of the flat.
The rest of the family was unharmed.
He was last seen wearing a black round-neck T-shirt with some words printed on it, black pants and black shoes. He also wore a black cap.
CAB DRIVERS ALERTED
Soon, alerts were sent out to taxi drivers. They were told to look out for passengers matching the description.
The police also conducted a massive islandwide hunt for the gunman.
Specialist units such as the elite Special Operations Command (SOC) and Police Dog Unit were also called in.
Immigration checkpoints were on alert. SMS bulletins were sent out to police officers and grassroots organisations to be alert for a man dressed in black with 'a blind right eye'.
Roadblocks were set up islandwide on major roads such as Bendemeer Road, Jurong Town Hall Road, Clementi Road (outside Ngee Ann Polytechnic) and Commonwealth Ave Roads, resulting in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the late morning.
On Bendemeer Road, two lanes of the three-lane road were blocked off, slowing traffic down to a crawl.
Police officers in bullet-proof vests were seen stopping each car to check.
Public buses were also under tight scrutiny.
At the Commonwealth Avenue roadblock, policemen in bullet-proof vests stopped the buses and checked the passengers on board.
Earlier in the morning, riot police and about 50 officers combed the void deck of Block 223, Serangoon Ave 4, where the murder took place.
They also did a floor-by-floor check of two neighbouring HDB blocks.
Police officers also did a check at the nearby Peicai Secondary School, where the victim's daughter is a Secondary 1 student.
Her classmates said they noticed she was absent that morning but didn't know why.
One of them, Darren Lim, 13, described her as 'skinny' and bespectacled.
School staff told The New Paper they had not seen any suspicious characters loitering in the school compound.
The school's operations manager said that he and his team of employees were questioned by the police.
SCHOOLS CHECKED
Students said they saw groups of police officers at the entrance and on the first and second levels of the school. They were even seen checking the toilets.
The search also extended to Zhonghua Primary School next door.
School principal Stephen Chua said police officers had informed them about the shooting and had warned them to be 'extra vigilant'.
He said he told the school's two security guards not to let unauthorised visitors in. One guard was stationed at the front gate while the other helped the police patrol the school.
Those affected by the checks were commuters rushing to work.
Motorist, Mr Suneeth C N, was stuck in traffic on Lavender Street towards the CTE at about 10.30am.
'There was a jam at the exit to the PIE from Upper Serangoon Road. In the end, I managed to make a U-turn and escape the jam as I was late for a meeting,' said the 49-year-old architect.
Those who spot anyone fitting the description of the gunman are advised to call the police hotline at 1800 255 0000.
They should not approach him as he may be dangerous.
. Lie with dogs, wake with fleas.
