SINGAPORE, Oct 23 — When Sherman Loh heard that a silver Toyota Camry had been involved in a crime, he realised that its licence plate number, SGM14J, belonged to a long-time friend.

He quickly flipped through the newspapers, and learnt that a gruesome double murder had unfolded at a three-storey house on Hillside Drive the day before.

“The fact that the house was in Hillside Drive made me feel very uneasy, as Ah Sin lived there,” Loh, 66, told the police in a recorded statement.

“Ah Sin” was the nickname of car workshop owner Tan Boon Sin, 67, who was killed alongside his son Tan Chee Heong, 42, on July 10, 2013.

Then active police officer Iskandar Rahmat was charged with two counts of murder three days later, further shocking the nation.

The elder Tan’s body was found in the house, while his son was dragged under the Toyota Camry for a kilometre and dislodged outside Kovan Station.

Iskandar’s trial began on Tuesday.

Loh, who took the witness stand on the second day of the trial today, told the police that he called an employee at the car workshop and learnt that the elder Tan had indeed been killed.

He decided against contacting the surviving family members and, instead, kept himself updated through the newspapers.

The day before the murder, Loh had met the elder Tan for lunch, and said the latter had not seemed stressed or troubled.

A week later, he received a call from his friend’s surviving son, David Tan Chee Wee, who said the police needed him to identify fishing equipment.

Both Loh and the elder Tan were avid anglers and often went on fishing trips together.

On July 18, 2013, Loh showed the police the shed where his friend stored his gear.

None of the knives — which were six to eight inches long and had smooth blades — were missing from the stash.

Loh testified today that the elder Tan did not use knives with serrated blades for fishing.

“It’s not practical for us. When you cut, the bait might not be cut clean,” he said.

On the opening day of the trial on Tuesday, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Daniel Wong had testified that the murder weapon, believed to be a small knife with a serrated blade, has not been found.

Iskandar, who faces the mandatory death penalty if convicted, said he had discarded the knife in a canal at East Coast Park before fleeing to Johor Baru on the day of the murder.

After his arrest, he sketched the weapon for the police.

His lawyers are portraying the case as an intended robbery that spiralled into a murder.

Iskandar claimed to have killed both Tans in self-defence, after the elder victim came at him with a knife.

But elder Tan’s widow, Ong Ah Tang, told the court earlier that she did not have a knife with a serrated blade at home.

The extent of the elder Tan’s knee problems was also raised in court, after Ong told the court on Tuesday that her husband had hurt his knee after a fall and walked with a limp.

Deputy public prosecutor Prem Raj questioned Loh on his understanding of his friend’s condition.

“For quite a while, I noticed that Ah Sin’s knee gave him problems. He was always in pain.

“On occasions when we went out for lunch, each time he got out of the car, he would do it very slowly. He walked very slowly because of his pain. I know that and I’ve asked him to go for an operation, but he had yet to do that,” said Loh.

Today, the court also heard from DSP Borhan Said, who is the officer in charge of the disciplinary proceedings for Iskandar’s financial embarrassment.

Iskandar had owed OCBC Bank over S$60,000 (RM183,000) — more than three times his monthly salary of under S$4,000.

As a result, he had been charged with disobedience of the Police General Orders, which state that officers must not have unsecured loans amounting to more than three times their monthly salary.

DSP Borhan met Iskandar twice on April 15, 2013, and July 3, 2013, to explain the charge and possible consequences.

Had the senior staff sergeant been found guilty, he could have been demoted or dismissed from the police.

At the second meeting, DSP Borhan told Iskandar that he should have resolved his debt between April and July.

“He mentioned that he had gone to Mecca on pilgrimage during this session ... I told him he ought to have prioritised and used some of the money to repay his debt,” he said in a written statement.

The trial continues next Monday, where medical experts — a doctor and pathologist — are expected to testify. — TODAY