S'pore woman, 67, claims younger brother pushed her down stairs in fight over 7-figure inheritance

On May 31, a 67-year-old woman in Singapore arrived at her younger brother's home to claim her share of their father's inheritance, which allegedly included cash savings of over S$1 million and a residential property.

However, upon learning about her intentions, her sister-in-law allegedly sprayed her with pesticide while her younger brother purportedly pushed her down a flight of stairs, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The woman, surnamed Zhuo (transliteration), alerted the police, who arrived at the scene to mediate.

In response to her allegations, a family member of Zhuo's younger brother refuted her claims, alleging that Zhuo fell off the stairs on her own while retreating from her brother's home.

The family member added that to prove their innocence, the family had provided surveillance footage to the police.

Origin of dispute

Speaking to Shin Min, Zhuo said the family feud began after her father, who used to run a neighbourhood grocery store, passed away three years ago at the age of 94.

He was survived by six of his eight children, including Zhuo's two elder sisters, her elder brother, Zhuo, her younger brother, and her younger sister.

Although Zhuo and her siblings had apparently helped out with their father's business, Zhuo's father allegedly did not leave behind any inheritance for his daughters.

According to Zhuo, her father purportedly passed on his seven-figure cash savings only to her elder brother and younger brother.

Additionally, her father allegedly also gave her younger brother a residential property.

Zhuo said she was "very disappointed" by the outcome, as she had given up her education to help out with her parents when she was younger:

"When I was five or six years old, I began helping out with my parents by selling chickens, ducks, eggs, and economy rice. I did not have the opportunity to pursue my education and only left to make a living in my 20s.

Over the years, I did not even have Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings. Now, I did not even get a dime. I am very disappointed."

Zhuo allegedly distributed mother's inheritance equally

Another factor that aggravated Zhuo's grievances was that her brothers did not offer her a share of their father's inheritance when she allegedly distributed their mother's inheritance equally amongst her siblings in 2008.

According to Zhuo, at the time, she and her mother had a savings of around S$36,000 in their joint account, reported Shin Min.

After her mother passed away, Zhuo said she handed over the money to her siblings equally "as a gesture of goodwill".

She further claimed that her elder brother had brought home an additional share for his son.

"At the time, I gave him more than S$5,000. Now that our father was gone, they did not even offer me a dime. I am suffering from some health issues and need to visit the doctor. The share I had given out on behalf of my mother, I am going to get it back," said Zhuo.

Dispute escalated

On May 31 evening, Zhuo visited her younger brother's home and demanded her share, reported Shin Min.

However, an "intense argument" immediately ensued, with Zhuo's sister-in-law allegedly coming out of the flat with a metal hammer and spraying her with pesticide.

"At the time, I was holding an umbrella to defend myself. Later on, my younger brother pushed me, causing me to roll down a flight of stairs. My hands and feet sustained bruises. I also hit my head and suffered from a bump," alleged Zhuo.

In response to her brother's family member's claim that she fell off the stairs by herself, Zhuo told Shin Min that she had thought about what happened on May 31 and still believed that someone pushed her before her fall.

As the matter is now being investigated by the police, she hoped that justice could prevail.

Zhuo's younger brother to engage lawyer, apply protection order

When Shin Min approached Zhuo's younger brother about her accusations, he declined to comment further.

He said he would ask a lawyer to handle the matter.

His family member also told the Chinese daily that they would apply for a protection order to prevent Zhuo from showing up again.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News