The police managed to arrest two suspects, Ramachandran Suppiah and Krishnan Varadan, who were both allegedly responsible for causing Packiria's death during a robbery bid.

[1][2][3] On 27 July 1984, inside a flat at Tah Ching Road, Jurong, 74-year-old Packiria Pillai Krishnasamy, a provision shop owner and father of five children, was found dead by his daughter, who just arrived home at 7.50pm.

[14][15] On 27 April 1987, both Ramachandran Suppiah and Krishnan Varadan stood trial at the High Court for murdering Packiria Pillai Krishnasamy back in 1984.

The trial was presided by two judges, Judicial Commissioner Chan Sek Keong and Justice Lai Kew Chai, and the prosecution was led by Seng Kwang Boon.

According to the forensic pathologist Dr Wee Keng Poh, who examined the corpse, he found that one of the stab wounds to Packiria's neck was sufficient in the ordinary course of nature to cause death.

After a few moments, Krishnan came out with bloodstains on him, and he told Ramachandran he had stabbed Packiria, and both of them went inside to search the flat for the knife, but they could not find the murder weapon.

In their judgement, the three-judge panel found that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ramamchandran had shared a common intention with Krishnan to commit murder or theft.

[37][38] In the aftermath of Ramachandran's acquittal, his case was once again mentioned in light of the February 1994 landmark ruling of the appeal by Chin Seow Noi and her two accomplices for murdering Chin's female lover,[39] and the appellate court stated in the verdict that it is acceptable to convict a person based on the statements of his co-accused that implicated the person in the crime.

[41] Lawyers raised their concern that due to the ruling, there was a risk of a person being wrongfully convicted of a crime based on the statements of a co-accused.

Ramachandran's former lawyer Peter Fernando stated that the strongest evidence available to incriminate his former client was merely the statements of Krishnan but no other direct or circumstantial evidence to prove his involvement in the crime, and Fernando stated that should the appellate court made such a ruling before Ramachandran's appeal was re-opened and re-heard, he would have been hanged together with Krishnan for murdering Packiria.

[46] Reportedly, aside from reading books, watching television and looking at photos of his family,[47] Krishnan would also chat with his neighbour on death row and regularly made Hindu prayers inside his cell.

He was due to hang at Changi Prison on 15 April 1994 for murdering Packiria Pillai Krishnasamy, nearly ten years after he committed the crime.

[50][51] On the same date of Krishnan's execution, a 40-year-old moneylender named Koh Aik Siew was hanged at Changi Prison for trafficking 680g of heroin.

[54][55] Shortly after Krishnan's case made the news in April 1993 (a year before he was hanged), Packiria's family members, who were still saddened over his death, also came forward to give the side of their story.

Packiria's son stated that while he was not harbouring any feelings of vengeance, he was unable to forgive Krishnan, who killed his father even though they treated him like family in the past.