Shraddha Walkar Murder Case: From taking inspiration from Netflix thriller Dexter to buying an extra 300-litre fridge to store his girlfriend’s dismembered parts, chilling details have emerged from the Mehrauli murder case that has shook the nation. At the heart of it is a 28-year-old call center employee and food blogger Aftab Poonawala, who is accused of strangling his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, cutting her into 35 pieces and disposing of them in a nearby forest over the next several weeks — all this as he carried on with his life and even re-installed the dating app Bumble, on which both of them had met back in 2019.
Here is what we know about the gruesome Delhi murder so far:
The murder, which took place in May, came to light recently when Shraddha’s father filed a missing complaint on October 6, after failing to reach out to his daughter. Due to a strained relationship, Shraddha’s family used to establish contact with her through her childhood friend. However, when the friend approached Shraddha’s father saying that he was unable to reach out to Shraddha since May, the family grew suspicious. Shraddha’s friend also told her family that she had moved to Delhi with Aftaab. On reaching out, the Mumbai police contacted their Delhi counterparts. After the Delhi police tracked Aftaab down and took him into custody, he confessed to killing her. On Tuesday, the Delhi police told news agency ANI that they have called the man who had gotten in touch with Shraddha’s father for questioning.
Aftab used Shraddha Walkar’s Instagram account, long after her death, to give an impression to her friends that she was still alive, reports said. He used to impersonate her and continued chatting with her friends till June 9, reported news agency PTI, citing police sources. Reports further added that Aftab also paid off Shraddha’s credit card bills.
According to ANI, Aftab had used one weapon, a mini saw, to chop off Shraddha’s body parts. The saw is yet to be recovered, ANI quoted police officials as saying. According to ANI,
Earlier today, Aftab was taken out of the police station in Mehrauli and brought to the spot where he had allegedly dumped parts of Shraddha’s body.
Meanwhile, Shraddha’s family has demanded a death penalty for Aftaab. Talking to ANI, Shraddha’s father Vikas Walker said, “We demand death penalty for Aftab. I trust Delhi Police and the probe moving in the right direction. Shraddha was close to her uncle, and didn’t talk to me much. I was never in touch with Aftab. I lodged the first complaint in Vasai.”
“I am 25-years-old now and I have every right to make my own decisions. I want to be in a live-in relationship with Aaftab Poonawala. So, you may think that I am not your daughter from today,” these were Shraddha’s final words to her parents before breaking off communication with them, as per the complaint filed in the FIR, reported IE.
During a preliminary probe, Aftab had revealed that he took inspiration from the award-winning Netflix crime thriller Dexter while hacking his partner’s body into pieces and disposing of them in small polly bags, reported The Indian Express.
An ANI report citing sources claims that Aftab used to sleep in the same room where he had chopped the victim’s body. “He used to see the face after keeping it in the fridge and also cleaned the fridge after disposing the body parts,” ANI reported, citing sources.
Also read| Delhi HC dismisses plea to disqualify arrested AAP minister Satyendar Jain
The police are now probing if accused Aftab had rented a flat in Delhi’s Chhatarpur as part of a conspiracy to kill her. The flat was rented not too long before the crime was committed.