The news of a barbaric murder of a 27 year old woman by her 28 year old live-in partner sent shockwaves across the nations. The woman, Shraddha Walkar, was allegedly strangled to death by Aaftab Poonawala, who chopped the body into pieces and dumped them in Mehrauli jungle over months. The accused and the victim had some arguments on May 18, which snowballed into the strangulation of Shraddha Walkar by his live-in partner, as top cop told PTI. The Delhi Police has filed a plea at the Saket court to conduct narco test on Aaftab. Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts inspecting the body parts of Shraddha.
Here are five key points that decode the Shraddha Walkar murder case:
1. According to details shared by the police with the media, the accused, Aaftab Poonawala, was arrested after the family of the deceased woman lodged a case against him. The deceased, a resident of Mumbai, was employed at a call centre in Delhi. The family of the deceased had filed a missing complaint in Mumbai after she stopped responding to their calls in May. The Delhi Police has filed a plea at the Saket court to conduct narco test on Aaftab. Meanwhile, a team of forensic experts inspecting the body parts of Shraddha.
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2. The accused and the deceased had relocated to Delhi earlier this year after the woman’s parents refused to accept their relationship. The family arrived in Delhi this month and found no trace of her at her rented Mehrauli residence. A kidnapping case was registered by the Delhi Police after the facts pertaining to the case were communicated to them by the Mumbai Police. The accused was subsequently arrested.
3. 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.
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4. 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.”
5. 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. 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.