Who Is Datchinamurthy Kataiah? Age, Biography and Wiki
Datchinamurthy Kataiah, born on December 30, 1985, is a Malaysian national who garnered international attention due to his conviction in Singapore. As of 2025, he is 39 years old. Datchinamurthy was involved in a significant drug trafficking case, which ultimately led to his sentencing and subsequent placement on death row. His story has raised various discussions surrounding the death penalty and drug laws in Southeast Asia.
| Occupation | Criminals |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | December 30, 1985 |
| Age | 39 Years |
| Birth Place | Malaysia |
| Horoscope | Capricorn |
| Country | Malaysia |
Popularity
Datchinamurthy Kataiah's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Datchinamurthy's height and weight are not widely publicized, the standard measurements for male individuals of his age typically range around 5'7" to 6'0" in height and 150 to 190 lbs in weight. Therefore, any definitive stats would be purely speculative.
After the loss of his clemency petition, on the orders of the President of Singapore, a death warrant was issued for Datchinamurthy, who was scheduled to hang on 12 February 2020 at Changi Prison for his crime. However, the execution date was postponed due to a last-minute appeal filed by Datchinamurthy to delay his execution.
Datchinamurthy, together with another Malaysian Gobi Avedian, alleged that the executions at Changi Prison were carried out by kicking the back of the prisoner's neck in the event of the rope breaking, which meant that the convicts would be suffering from unlawful execution and thus being unfairly treated by law.
This legal application was dismissed by the High Court on 13 February 2020. Datchinamurthy's lawyer M Ravi also alleged that he was threatened by the prosecution in relation to this matter, which was also rejected by the High Court.
The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) also issued correction orders under POFMA towards Malaysian human rights group Lawyers for Liberty for starting the above allegations of illegal execution methods, calling these claims "baseless" and "untrue". The Court of Appeal also affirmed the High Court's decision to dismiss the lawsuit in August 2020.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
As of 2025, Datchinamurthy's relationship status remains private due to the sensitive nature of his situation. There is no verified information regarding a girlfriend or boyfriend, and discussions about his family are typically centered around the impact of his legal battles. He has a family that has shown support for him during his incarceration, but details about his personal relationships are not commonly available.
Born on 30 December 1985 in Malaysia, Datchinamurthy Kataiah was the only son of his parents. He grew up together with his three sisters at Johor Bahru. His family was poor during his early life, and Datchinamurthy, who had a cheerful and gentle personality, was close to his family. Despite his poverty, he was kind and helped those in need.
Net Worth and Salary
Given Datchinamurthy's current circumstances as a death row inmate, he has no substantial net worth or earnings. Reports suggest that his family has been actively fundraising for legal fees and advocacy efforts to appeal against his sentence. In situations like his, financial discussions are largely hypothetical and focus more on advocacy rather than personal wealth.
According to both the defendants' accounts, prior to their capture, Chirsteen, who was facing financial difficulties and needed money to take care of her children, was hired by Datchinamurthy through connections and introductions to other people.
She was asked to deliver something by Datchinamurthy, who provided her a bag which she should pass to another person, and Datchinamurthy stated he will pay her $200 once the job is done. Christeen also stated she did not know that the bag contained packages of drugs. Likewise, Datchinamurthy denied that he had any knowledge of the drugs.
He stated he was offered a job by a friend named "Rajah", who wanted to pay him to deliver some drugs, which Rajah assured him were "not serious" and Datchinamurthy thus believed he was delivering traditional Chinese medicine after checking the bags himself and thus did not suspect anything; the drugs, according to him, looked brown and did not loo
k white (which was the normal appearance of heroin).
Datchinamurthy was also in charge of relaying messages between Rajah and Christeen. Hence, both accused persons sought to downplay their conduct and paint themselves as couriers, through their defence lawyers, to escape the death penalty.
Under the law, should a drug convict was merely acting as courier or suffering from diminished responsibility, he or she will only be eligible for life imprisonment but not death.
Career, Business, and Investments
Prior to his arrest, Datchinamurthy was not known for any prominent career or business endeavors that received public attention. His life took a significant turn when he became embroiled in legal issues related to drug trafficking, and as such, there are no public records of investments or career contributions that remain relevant today.
On 18 January 2011, Datchinamurthy, together with his 33-year-old Singaporean accomplice Christeen Jayamany, were arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint by the Singapore authorities for allegedly trafficking over 44.96g of heroin across the border of Singapore from Malaysia.
As the amount of trafficked heroin exceeds the legal minimum of 15g, Datchinamurthy and Christeen were both charged with capital drug trafficking, which warrants the mandatory death penalty in Singapore if found guilty. They were later both tried in the High Court of Singapore for the alleged offences.
Social Network
In the decade leading up to 2025, Datchinamurthy has seen a notable presence on social media, primarily through advocacy groups and supporters sharing his story. He is not personally active on any platforms, but organizations campaigning against the death penalty frequently reference his case to bring awareness to the broader implications of drug laws in Malaysia and Singapore.
Not only so, the cell door has two slots that were locked from the outside. The light bulb provided in each cell was yellow and dim. Since the cells were located in the middle of the building, there were no presence of sunlight in the cells.
The cell's window was completely covered with metal netting, thus hindering the entry of natural or artificial light from outside the cell. There is no hot water provided during bath time and the shower water was basically also the prisoners' drinking water.
In light of Datchinamurthy's account, there were criticisms from his family and activists that such living conditions were detrimental to the emotional and mental health of the death row prisoners and there was a need to reform to improve the living conditions of Changi Prison's death row cells.
Furthermore, the seven-year life on death row took a considerable toll on Datchinamurthy's emotional and mental health, and he began to suffer from high blood pressure, and even attempted suicide once.
Amidst the criticisms, activists stated that their hope that Datchinamurthy's story could be a lesson to youngsters, so as to remind them to not get easily swayed into doing crime and invoke sympathy and forgiveness, since most of the death row convicts were alleged drug mules who were manipulated by the drug lords into doing the job.
Education
Details surrounding Datchinamurthy's educational background remain scarce. Given that he was involved in drug trafficking, it is possible that his education did not play a significant role in shaping his decisions. There is no available information indicating any higher education or specialized training that he pursued before his legal troubles.
