The owner of a 100-year old Indian restaurant in Singapore was found guilty on Friday of hiring a hitman to attack with knife an employee from a rival eatery.
The owner of Zam Zam, 49-year-old Zackeer Abbass Khan, conspired with several others to have Victory restaurant supervisor Liakath Ali Mohamed Ibrahim slashed and scarred, reported Channel News Asia.
He had instructed his business associate Anwer Ambiya Kadir Maideen, 50, to procure an attack on the victim, offering money to get the job done.
Anwer then hired a hitman, Joshua Navindran Surainthiran, to slash the victim's face with a knife on August 26, 2015.
The victim was left with a permanent scar, and Joshua was sentenced to six-and-a-half years' jail and six strokes of the cane in 2016 for several charges in relation to the case.
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Both the eateries are among the oldest Indian-origin food-service businesses serving a wide range of South Indian dishes including biryani and murtabak, a non-veg filled pratha, a popular pan-fried chapati-type serving in Singapore and Malaysia originating from South Indian cuisines.
District Judge Mathew Joseph found both Zackeer and Anwer guilty of conspiring to voluntarily cause grievous hurt after a long-running trial, saying the prosecution had proven its case.
Zackeer was convicted of an additional charge of criminal intimidation, while Anwer faces other charges of being in a secret society.
Judge Joseph noted that the case was all about business rivalry.
"Business rivalry is a common occurrence," he said. "It's part of everyday commerce and it is to be taken in its stride. In the case of Victory and Zam Zam restaurants, both are household names in Singapore," the judge said, adding that their rivalry has spanned almost 100 years.
"This is not surprising as murtabak is a very popular and tasty food item eaten at all times of the day and night in Singapore."
The judge said it was unfortunate that the feud had erupted over a failed business venture, and the two restaurants began engaging in the "persistent touting of patrons".
This resulted in more tensions between the management and staff at both restaurants.
The prosecution had said the enmity between Zackeer and the victim was deep-rooted and transcended the business rivalry between the two restaurants.
It dated back to 2005, when both men were business partners. The business failed and Zackeer blamed the victim for being sued and "cheated" of SGD 80,000.
When the victim joined the rival Victory restaurant, he created problems for Zackeer's new business, pulling customers away and reporting his staff to authorities.
Things came to a head on August 22, 2015, when the police went to both restaurants and advised them to refrain from touting among patrons who would line up to pick-up pre-packaged food, some even by roadside in their cars on the North Bridge Road, a thorough fare.
Both parties will return to court for sentencing on April 13, according to the Channel report.
The penalties for voluntarily cause grievous hurt by a cutting instrument are life imprisonment, or up to 15 years' jail, with the possibility of caning and a fine.
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