New Delhi/Mumbai, November 14
The 28-year-old man allegedly strangled his wife and cut her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre refrigerator at their residence in South Delhi’s Mehrauli for nearly three weeks and dumped it in the city within a few days. , police said Monday.
In a harrowing tale of betrayal and deceit, the accused, a trained chef, evaded detection for six months, continued to live in the house they shared, and was only caught on Saturday morning after the details of the murder and its horrific aftermath emerged. questioning.
Aaftab Amin Poonawala told the police during investigation that Shraddha killed Walker after an argument over marriage and the idea of dismembering her body was inspired by the American crime series Dexter.
Not only did he buy a cooler to preserve the body parts, but he also stocked up on incense sticks and room fresheners to drown out the stench emanating from the corpse.
According to the police, the accused, who came out after midnight with his body parts packed in poly bags, carefully planned which part would be thrown away first, depending on which part would start to rot the fastest.
According to police officials, 13 body parts were found after determining the places where the accused had thrown them, but only after their forensic examination, it can be confirmed whether they belong to the victim or not.
They still haven’t found the murder weapon.
In the weeks following the murder, Poonavala allegedly contacted the woman’s friends using social media accounts to avoid suspicion. Walker did not speak to his family because they objected to their relationship.
The accused, who went on with his life as if nothing had happened, continued to live in their changed place in May after moving out of Mumbai.
The victim’s father in Mumbai complained when one of his friends informed him in September that Walkar’s phone had been unavailable for two months, and Poonawala claimed they had parted ways some time ago.
Poonawala and Walkar met each other through an online dating app. Later, they started working in the same call center in Mumbai and fell in love. But their families objected to the relationship as they belong to different religions, prompting the couple to move to Mehrauli earlier this year, officials said.
“Around mid-May, the couple had an argument over marriage which escalated and Poonawala killed her,” said Ankit Chauhan, Additional DCP-I, South region.
“The accused then cut her body into more than 35 parts. I bought a 300 liter cooler to protect the body parts and stocked up on incense sticks and room fresheners. I dropped the pieces in various parts of the city over several days. I used to go out after midnight to dispose of the severed body parts,” he said.
Chauhan said the woman had not spoken to her family because of differences over her relationship with Poonawala.
In the complaint filed by the victim’s father, it was alleged that Poonavala had beaten Walker several times and had informed his family about it earlier.
“The woman’s father called the accused but was told that the couple had parted ways some time ago. Unable to contact his daughter, the man later filed a missing complaint,” Chauhan said.
After receiving the complaint, the Mumbai police traced his last whereabouts in Delhi and also called Poonawala, whose conflicting statements raised suspicion, and referred them to the Delhi Police.
“Mumbai police extracted the Call Detail Record (CDR) of Poonawala and Walkar and found that his mobile phone was switched off since May. We then called Poonawala and questioned him and also recorded his statement.
“Earlier I said that they live in Delhi’s Chattarpur area, but after a fight between them in May, he left her place. When the Manikpur police found some contradictions in his statement, they informed the Delhi police and gave them all his details,” said a senior Mumbai police official.
On November 8, the Mumbai police informed the Mehrauli police station about the missing woman. During the investigation, Poonawala’s residence was raided and he was detained.
“At first I said that there was an argument between the two and he broke up with her. Later, during continuous questioning, Poonavala revealed that she was in a live-in relationship with the deceased since 2019. They often quarreled.
“On May 18, there was a dispute between the accused and the victim. She screamed as she covered her mouth with her hand. Later, I strangled him, cut the body into parts and threw it in a nearby jungle area,” said a senior Delhi Police official.
Poonawala has been remanded in police custody for 5 days and further investigation is underway.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday issued a notice to the Delhi Police asking them to submit an action-taken report on the matter by November 18.
The DCW also sought a copy of the FIR and asked if Walkar had filed a complaint of molestation, domestic violence or sexual abuse against her partner.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal called for strict punishment of the accused.
“How cruel people are in society. Police have arrested the accused and the cruel man should be severely punished,” he said in a tweet in Hindi regarding the incident.
Former Delhi Police ACP Ved Bhushan said, “Aftab watched Dexter to destroy the evidence, cut his body parts into 35 pieces and slowly dumped the body parts in a nearby jungle.
“He was active on social media and when it was found that he was not active, his father approached the Mumbai police and then the investigation came to Delhi. There is scientific evidence against Aftab. It is a case of conviction.”
