SINGAPORE, July 12 — A 69-year-old-man was charged this morning with one count of murdering Spencer Sanjay Tuppani Shamla Tuppani in an incident which left the Central Business District in a standstill at lunchtime on Monday.

Tan Nam Seng had allegedly stabbed his 38-year-old victim, understood to be his son-in-law, to death at 1.22pm that day along Telok Ayer Street.

If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

Tan will next appear in court on July 19. No plea was taken from him this morning.

Tan, who was in a red polo tee, gazed around the courtroom expressionlessly as proceedings were going on.

In a statement issued this morning, Tan Cheng Cheng, 43, wife of the deceased and daughter of the accused, asked for her family to be given space and privacy. 

"This is a double tragedy for the family. I hope the media will stop the narrative and let the police conduct (their) investigations.

"We cannot say anything to you now.

"Please respect our privacy and do not stay outside our home. Our family has lost a loved one and my beloved father is facing a serious charge.

"You cannot imagine our immense grief, but please try to understand and let us have some peace,” she wrote.

Tuppani collapsed outside A Poke Theory, an eatery at 27 Boon Tat Street, after being knifed by an elderly man who identified himself as Tuppani’s father-in-law, stunning passers-by and leaving restaurant staff and customers fearing for their safety.

The victim was an up-and-coming businessman who had risen to prominence after turning around port services provider TNS Ocean Lines.

In an interview with August Man in July 2014, Tuppani — who graduated from Long Island University in New York according to a profile on LinkedIn —related how he sold off everything he had to reinvest in TNS Ocean Lines, which was on the brink of bankruptcy after the global economic crisis in 2007.

In 18 months, he turned the port services provider, which he joined in 2003, around to be in the black again, growing the turnover from S$2 million (RM6.222 million) to more than S$100 million.

Tan is one of the directors listed for TNS Ocean Lines.

Tuppani was also one of four finalists for an Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2014 by the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and DBS.

Last November, logistics company GKE Corporation bought over TNS Ocean Lines for S$9 million. — TODAY