A Bangladeshi worker was sentenced to death on Monday (Dec. 14) for murdering his girlfriend at Golden Dragon Hotel in December 2018.

She cheated on him and he physically threatened her

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Ahmed Salim, 31, and an Indonesian national Nurhidayati Wartono Surata, 34, began their relationship in May 2012.

In mid-2018, Nurhidayati started a relationship with another man.

Ahmed found out about this and subsequently planned for his own arranged marriage with another woman in Bangladesh.

However, he and Nurhidayati soon reconciled, but the reconciliation proved to be an uneasy one as the couple constantly quarrelled.

Additionally, Ahmed did not cancel his own marriage plans in Bangladesh.

Court documents revealed that Ahmed was also violent towards Nurhidayati.

Sometime in end-July or early August 2018, Ahmed pressed a towel over the Nurhidayati's mouth.

He only stopped when she struggled.

On another occasion, Ahmed threatened her with a knife.

Victim wanted a break up and he planned to kill her

On Dec. 9, 2018, Ahmed found out that Nurhidayati was dating another man again.

He became angry and planned to strangle her with a drawstring taken from his jacket if she refused to break up with the man.

On Dec. 23, 2018, he met Nurhidayati at the Golden Dragon Hotel.

They checked into a room. Ahmed already had the rope in the pocket of his pants.

However, Nurhidayati managed to avert death as she agreed to continue to meet Ahmed and convinced him that she had not met the other man.

After they parted ways that day, she called him and informed him that their relationship was truly over.

Ahmed was left enraged and resolved to kill her.

As part of his plan, he convinced Nurhidayati to meet him for the last time at the same hotel seven days later.

His plan was to demand that she break up with her new boyfriend, and to kill her if she disagreed.

The day of the murder

On the morning of Dec. 30, 2018, Ahmed withdrew S$1,150 from his savings.

He then met Nurhidayati and brought along the rope to the hotel.

After checking into a room, the couple had sexual intercourse.

Court documents stated that Ahmed had failed to persuade Nurhidayati to break up with her new boyfriend.

Ahmed then strangled her to death first with a towel and then tied a rope around her neck several times in his attempt to kill her.

To make sure that Nurhidayati was dead, he forcefully twisted her head.

Left her dead body at the hotel

After committing the murder, Ahmed dressed Nurhidayati up and positioned her body before leaving the hotel.

He extended the hotel stay for another two hours and went to a provision shop nearby.

When he returned, he checked that she remained in the same position that he had left her to ensure that she was really dead.

Nurhidayati's body was later discovered by the hotel's receptionist after the booking for that room had expired.

Wanted to return to Bangladesh but was arrested

On the night of the murder, Ahmed returned to his dormitory at Sungei Tengah Lodge.

He gave S$1,000 to his dormitory mate, asking him to send the money back to his family in Bangladesh on his behalf.

He also told his dorm mate that he had killed someone.

Ahmed then left his dormitory and checked into another hotel in Geylang in the early morning of Dec. 31, 2018.

After checking out that same morning, he contacted the human resource manager of his company and said that he needed to return to Bangladesh that day because of problems at home.

He was subsequently directed to return to the office where he was arrested.

Court documents revealed that Ahmed was diagnosed with adjustment disorder at the time of the offence.

However, there was no contributory link between his disorder and the murder.

The murder was premeditated

According to CNA, Ahmed testified in court that he considered Nurhidayati to be his wife even though they weren't married.

Judicial Commissioner Mavis Chionh found that Ahmed's actions had shown his premeditated plan to kill Nurhidayati.

Chionh said, as reported by CNA:

"On the totality of the evidence... I find that the accused had decided even before Dec. 30, 2018, that he would kill the deceased so long as she refused to leave her new boyfriend and to get back together with him."

Top image from Google Maps.