SINGAPORE — Two men, aged 18 and 21, were charged in court on Wednesday (Nov 17) over a violent slashing incident at a coffee shop along Depot Road on Sunday night.

Theophileous Jebaraj, 18, and Joel Elliot Andrew, 21, were charged with voluntarily cause grievous hurt to Ahmad Bazeer, 37, using a watermelon knife at about 9.30pm on Sunday.

Theophileous had, in 2019, been sentenced to reformative training — a regimented rehabilitation programme for offenders under the age of 21 who commit relatively serious crimes. Along with two other youths, he was involved in robbing a sex worker of S$100.

The police said on Tuesday that both suspects in Sunday's assault had been released from the Reformative Training Centre and had allegedly cut their electronic tags to avoid tracking of their whereabouts.

They were arrested at a hotel on Sentosa on Monday, after an “extensive” manhunt which took nearly 20 hours, the police said.

Witnesses saw two male assailants wielding long knives slashing and stabbing the victim, who suffered multiple lacerations and stab wounds on the head, neck, knee and chest.

He was bleeding profusely and was taken to hospital.

The two alleged assailants had fled and disposed of their weapons before the police arrived.

A 30cm-long knife used in the assault was later recovered in the vegetation near the crime scene.

If convicted of voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon, they could face life imprisonment, or up to 15 years’ jail, a fine and caning.

The two alleged assailants are also suspected of being members of secret societies, added the police.

Separately, three other men, aged 19 to 28, were arrested for being suspected members of unlawful societies. Two of the men, aged 20 and 28, are believed to have met up with the two alleged assailants after the incident.

Police are investigating their alleged involvement in the incident.

Those found guilty of being a member of an unlawful society can be jailed up to three years, fined up to $5,000, or both.