Justice for Menon: Sister’s plea as murder investigation falls flat in Malawi

In May 2025, Arjun Menon’s life was cut short when he was attacked in his residence in Blantyre.

As alleged by local police in the aftermath of his death, the Singapore national and Cricket Malawi operations director was slain in the Nancholi Township of the city, and dumped by a mosque nearby.

The cricket world paid tribute to a man described as a loved figure in the Associate community in the days after, though early details remained undisclosed due to investigations.

Over a year on, there has mysteriously been little change. Despite the investigations, and the little hesitation from authorities in declaring a murder scene, progress on finding those responsible has been painfully slow. 

The case has remained with the same police station it was registered in, with no arrests made despite claims that his life was taken by a culprit or culprits described in local reports as “very dubious people.”

Staggeringly, there has been no mention of even a suspect.

With proceedings almost at a standstill the victim’s sister is making another push for justice.

Prema Menon has been on a solo mission, imploring authorities in both Singapore and Malawi to pursue the case, while drumming up publicity for the case on social media.

As of August 2026, Prema obtained Arjun’s case report that was sent to the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, though the paperwork has only drawn more questions.

In the eyes of Prema, there are little to no new details in Malawi, even with a new investigating officer on the case.

“As his family, we have received no explanation for this delay, and the police have never initiated contact with us,” Menon, who first spoke to Malawi police in June 2025 (a month after Arjun’s death), told Emerging Cricket.

“After much research and follow-up on my part, I finally reached the assigned investigating officer on 31 July 2026. 

“While he was polite, gave me time to ask questions, and offered reassurances, I still have no explanation for why this has taken so long.”

In the case report, it has not been disclosed how many people have been interviewed by police, though it is understood the subjects of interrogation have been colleagues or those around the Malawi cricket scene.

The report names multiple venues Arjun visited in the evening preceding his murder, though there are no details as to what leads around these locations were followed up on, nor if CCTV footage was reviewed.

Who was Arjun Menon?

• Menon, 48, had a career in cricket across three decades and spanning four continents in several different roles.
• Born in Singapore, Menon played for his country at youth level as a wicket-keeper, before moving to Australia for university.
• Menon played for Singapore at senior level, and remained involved in cricket through coaching, leading the likes of Chile, Botswana and Indonesia.
• Menon returned home for a five-year period working for the Singapore Cricket Association, and won an Southeast Asian Games gold medal as a coach before taking a three-year contract at Cricket Malawi in 2020.
• In the tributes to Menon following his death, the Singapore Cricket Association passion for giving his time “reflected his unwavering dedication to the development of cricket”, while a statement from the Malawi Sports Council said he was a “dedicated coach and passionate advocate of the development of cricket in Malawi”.

What do we know about Arjun Menon’s death?

• After a trip out of the house visiting multiple venues, Menon returned to his premises late on the evening of May 10 2025.
• Sometime overnight between May 10 and May 11, Menon was attacked by unknown trespassers in his Blantyre residence.
• A Police statement from the Malawi National Council of Sports said he was attacked outside his home and “brutally murdered,” with case reports also detailing the theft of his car and wallet among other items. The report only reached the Singapore Embassy in Beijing in August 2026.
• People connected to Arjun were called into questioning, but no suspects have been identified. Interaction with Malawi police has been described by his sister Prema as “limited”, with the first questions asked by her on the investigation back in June 2025.

Malawi’s justice system by many is described as “opaque”, and the Menon family were left in the dark for over a year in regards to both the status of the investigation and what had been uncovered.

Unsure if the investigation was even considered in Malawi as open in the first place, Prema’s calls to police in the African nation fell on deaf ears. Instead, she opted to continue her push via the Singapore government, though a lack of diplomatic ties between the countries is a hurdle seemingly too tall to overcome to render any support.

Prema has turned to African media, though coming in as a cold approach means a long time is taken up to convince those in the region to discuss the case in the hope the case is brought back to the top of the investigators’ priorities.

Prema is also “deeply disappointed” in the Malawi National Council of Sports and their lack of action for a man that devoted so much time and effort to build cricket in the country.

“They were the first to condemn his death, urging authorities to act fast,” Prema continued. 

“I met some of the representatives when they attended his memorial and they even shared a tribute. Yet my emails to them have gone unanswered, the silence is deafening. 

“As the body responsible for developing sport in Malawi, surely one of their own, someone who helped fulfil that very mission, deserves their support in pushing the police for answers.”

Arjun was well-travelled in large part thanks to cricket, representing his country as a wicket-keeper and going on to work in various roles after studying at an Australian university.

Menon remained involved in cricket through coaching, overseeing the likes of the Chile, Botswana and Indonesia national teams. He returned home for a five-year period working for the Singapore Cricket Association, winning gold as coach at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, before taking a contract at Cricket Malawi in 2020.

Tributes poured in for him from all corners of the world after his death, while Prema was glowing of Arjun’s adoration for Malawi.

“Arjun loved Malawi and believed in its people, evident in his work building the cricket program at Cricket Malawi. 

“His death is not just a loss to his family and friends, it ripples through the cricket community, especially in the countries he worked, played, and coached in.”

“All we ask, as Arjun’s family, is to be kept regularly informed, and for Arjun’s case not to be delayed further.”

Back in Singapore, former teammates and school friends of Arjun are set to team up with members of the country’s sporting community for a Legacy Weekend from August 28 to 30 named in his honour.

Proceeds from the event will support the Maoni Orphanage in Malawi and the Vivekananda Cultural Centre Building Fund in Singapore, two causes close to Arjun.

Do you have a lead or an Emerging Cricket story? Email emergingcricket@gmail.com

You can also follow Prema’s push on social media via the Arjun’s Case Facebook page or on Instagram here. 

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