A 22-YEAR-OLD man was charged in court on Thursday with the murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Pathip Selvan Sugumaran is alleged to have caused the death of Miss Jeevitha Panippan, 18, at a perimeter pavement behind a power substation opposite Block 154 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 on Monday.

Clad in a blue T-shirt, the slim and tall man was arrested on Tuesday evening at Woodlands checkpoint as he tried to re-enter the country after leaving about 12 hours earlier.

He was remanded for investigation.

His next court appearance is on July 17.

If convicted of murder, he faces the mandatory death penalty.