New Delhi: Aftab Ameen Poonawala, who allegedly killed his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and chopped up her body into 35 pieces at their Delhi home, has confessed to removing her intestines and other internal organs as they had begun decomposing, sources in the police told News18. Had he not done so, the foul smell emanating from the house would have raised neighbours’ suspicion. He allegedly put the organs in a plastic bag and threw them away in garbage dumps across the capital, with police saying most of them would have been either eaten up by stray animals or decomposed completely.
The accused also confessed that he burnt Shraddha’s face after dismembering her body to hide her identity and searched the internet for ways to dispose of the body after the murder, police sources told News18. It was earlier revealed that Aftab was inspired by the popular American crime show ‘Dexter’ and had read about human anatomy that would help him chop off the body.
The chilling details of the murder have sent shockwaves across the country, with people demanding the harshest punishment possible for Aftab.
What we know so far:
- Aftab strangled his 26-year-old live-in partner on May 18 after a fight. He then chopped her body into 35 pieces with a saw and purchased a big-enough fridge to keep them. He left his house at 2 am over the course of the next 18 days to discard the pieces across Delhi.
- Shraddha and Aftab worked at a call centre in Mumbai where they fell in love and moved in together. However, as her family was against their relationship, the couple eloped and fled to Delhi where they began living in Mehrauli.
- Shraddha’s family was aware of her whereabouts through social media platforms but when they noticed that the updates had stopped, her father visited Delhi to check in on her. However, when he was unable to establish contact with her, he lodged a police complaint.
- The police, acting on a tip-off, arrested Aftab who allegedly confessed that he killed Shraddha as she was pressuring him to marry her. He said the two would often fight over the issue and when things got out of hand, he killed her in May.
- Even after the crime, Aftab continued to meet several women on a dating app and some of his friends, food delivery persons, and many others frequented the house.
A senior police officer told CNN-News18 that Aftab continued using the dating app, which had also become a sour point between him and his live-in partner leading to frequent fights and eventually to her murder.
“He continued meeting other women through this application, which Walkar did not appreciate. They often had fights on this. Aftab has told us that she had become possessive about him. However, he has also alleged that Walkar too used the same app to meet other men. He further confessed that he met many women and slept with them in the same house as Walkar’s severed body remained in the refrigerator,” the officer said, requesting not to be named.
What police have found so far
After days of search operation conducted in Chhattarpur, the forensic and police teams have reportedly found crucial evidence — a part of a bone that appears to be a femur (thigh bone). The bone also has apparent injury marks, possibly due to being cut by a saw-like weapon. The bone has been sealed and sent for forensic examination to ascertain if it belongs to Shraddha.
Police are also conducting searches at two spots where garbage was discarded from the disposal truck in which the accused threw Shraddha’s clothes.
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