Tony Anak Imba was born in Sarawak, Malaysia, and was approximately 31 years old when he became involved in the 2010 Kallang slashings. Like the others involved, Tony was of Iban descent and had traveled to Singapore with the intention of committing robberies. He joined a group of younger men from his home region, including Micheal Anak Garing, Donny Anak Meluda, and Hairee Anak Landak, all of whom participated in a premeditated spree of armed robbery and violence over the course of a single night.

Little is publicly known about Tony’s early life, education, or personal history. Prior to the events in Singapore, he did not have any significant criminal record in the public domain.

In the early hours of May 30, 2010, Singapore was rocked by a series of violent attacks that would become known as the Kallang slashings. Tony Anak Imba, along with three younger Malaysians—Micheal Anak Garing, Donny Anak Meluda, and Hairee Anak Landak—went on an eight-hour spree that included four robberies, three serious assaults, and one fatal attack.

The group’s first victim was 24-year-old Indian national Sandeep Singh, who was sitting in a playground talking to his family on the phone. Tony struck Sandeep on the head with a brick before Micheal slashed him repeatedly with a parang. The young man suffered a fractured skull and came dangerously close to death but survived thanks to emergency medical treatment.

The second victim was 19-year-old Singaporean National Serviceman Ang Jun Heng. Tony kicked Ang to the ground, initiating the attack, and the others joined in to punch, kick, and slash him. Ang lost four fingers on his left hand, and the deep wounds to his neck nearly severed his spinal cord. He was left for dead but managed to survive.

The third attack targeted Egan Karrupaiah, a 43-year-old Indian pipe fitter. Tony, Micheal, and Donny robbed and slashed him, slicing off several fingers and leaving both of his arms with near-bone-deep wounds. He also survived but with severe physical trauma.

The final victim was 41-year-old Shanmuganathan Dillidurai, who was cycling along Kallang Road. Tony was the first to engage, knocking the man off his bicycle. During the attack, Tony was reported to have restrained Shanmuganathan while Micheal used the parang to deliver fatal slashes to his head, neck, back, and arms. The brutality of the assault left the victim with a fractured skull, a severed hand, and a neck wound that severed his jugular vein. Shanmuganathan bled to death at the scene. His body was discovered shortly after sunrise.

Following the spree, Singaporean police arrested Tony along with Micheal and Hairee. Donny fled the country and would not be arrested until 2017. Tony was charged with murder alongside Micheal and stood trial in 2013. During the trial, Tony claimed that he had no intention to kill anyone and argued that he was only participating in the robberies. He also claimed that he did not wield the parang and had tried to stop Micheal from using it.

However, the prosecution demonstrated that Tony had actively participated in all four attacks. The testimonies of surviving victims and co-accused, along with forensic evidence, contradicted his claim of innocence in the fatal assault. The trial judge, Justice Choo Han Teck, found that Tony was fully aware of the violent nature of the attacks and had restrained Shanmuganathan during the fatal stabbing, even if he did not deliver the death blows himself.

On January 20, 2014, Tony was found guilty of murder under Singapore’s Penal Code Section 300(c), which allows a person to be convicted if death results from an act where bodily injury sufficient to cause death was intentionally inflicted. However, due to the 2013 legal amendment allowing judges discretion in sentencing for certain types of murder, Tony was spared the death penalty.

On April 20, 2015, Justice Choo sentenced Tony to life imprisonment and 24 strokes of the cane. The judge determined that while Tony shared the common intention to rob and participated actively in all the attacks, he did not personally inflict the lethal wounds on the deceased. The court concluded that this gave Tony a slightly lesser degree of culpability than Micheal Anak Garing, who was sentenced to death.

The prosecution appealed Tony's sentence, seeking capital punishment, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. The appellate court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Tony had knowingly facilitated the fatal attack in a way that merited execution. Blood and DNA evidence found on Tony’s clothes supported the defense’s argument that he had not been close enough to Micheal’s blade during the final attack to have played an active restraining role. The lack of Shanmuganathan’s blood on Tony’s clothes further weakened the prosecution’s argument. Tony Anak Imba is currently serving a life sentence in Singapore.