New Delhi/Mumbai, 14 November A 28-year-old man allegedly strangled his live-in partner and sawed her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for nearly three weeks at his residence in South Delhi’s Mehrauli before dumping them around the city over several days. , police said Monday. In a harrowing tale of betrayal and treachery, the accused, a trained chef, evaded detection for six months, continued to live in the home they shared and was only arrested in the early hours of Saturday after details of the murder and its horrific aftermath emerged. interrogation. Aaftab Amin Poonawala told the police during investigation that he killed Shraddha Walkar after an argument over marriage and the idea to dismember her body was inspired by ‘Dexter’, an American crime TV series. Police personnel along with accused Aftab Ameen Poonawala pose for the media at the Mehrauli Police Station in New Delhi on Monday, November 14, 2022. PTI He not only bought the refrigerator to preserve the body parts, but also paid for incense sticks and air fresheners to suppress the foul smell emanating from the corpse. Stepping out after midnight with body parts packed in poly bags, the accused meticulously planned which to dispose of first depending on which part would start decomposing the earliest, police said. According to police officials, 13 body parts were found after the accused identified the areas where he had dumped them, but only after their forensic examination can it be confirmed if they belong to the victim. They still haven’t found the murder weapon. In the weeks following the murder, Poonawala allegedly interacted with the woman’s friends using her social media accounts to avoid arousing any suspicion. Walkar was not talking to her family as they objected to their relationship. Carrying on with his life as if nothing had happened, the accused continued to live in the same place where they had shifted in May after shifting from Mumbai. The victim’s father in Mumbai lodged a complaint after one of her friends informed him in September that Walkar’s phone had been unavailable for two months and Poonawala claimed they had broken up some time ago. Poonawala and Walkar had 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 opposed 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 a marriage dispute which escalated and Poonawala killed her,” said Ankit Chauhan, Additional DCP-I, South district. “The accused cut her body into more than 35 pieces. He bought a 300 liter refrigerator to preserve the body parts and made incense sticks and room fresheners. He threw the pieces in different parts of the city for several days. He used to come out after midnight to dispose of the severed body parts,” he added. Chauhan said the woman was not talking to her family because of their differences over her relationship with Poonawala. The victim’s father’s complaint alleged that Poonawala used to beat Walkar on several occasions and that she had informed her family about it earlier. “The woman’s father called the accused but was told that the couple had separated sometime back. Unable to contact his daughter, the man lodged a missing complaint,” Chauhan said. After receiving the complaint, the Mumbai police traced her last location in Delhi and also called Poonawalla, whose contradictory statements raised suspicions, prompting them to book the Delhi Police. “Mumbai police took out the Call Detail Record (CDR) of Poonawala and Walkar and found that her mobile was switched off since May. We then called Poonawala and questioned him as well as his statement was recorded. “He said earlier that they were staying at Chattarpur locality in Delhi, but in May he left his place after a fight between them. When the Manikpur police found some contradiction in his statement, they informed the Delhi police and transferred all their details to them,” said a senior Mumbai police official. On November 8, the Mumbai police reported to the Mehrauli police station about the missing woman. During the investigation, Poonawala’s residence was raided and he was arrested. “At first he said they both had arguments and she left him. Later, during continuous interrogation, Poonawala revealed that he and the deceased were in a live-in relationship since 2019. They had frequent fights. “On May 18, the accused and the victim had some disagreements. She was screaming because of which he covered her mouth with his hand. Later, he strangled her, cut the body into parts and dumped them in a nearby jungle area,” said a senior Delhi Police official. Poonawala has been remanded in five-day police custody and further investigation is on. The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday issued a notice to the Delhi Police asking them to submit a report by November 18 on the action taken in the matter. The DCW also sought a copy of the FIR and asked if Walkar had lodged a complaint of harassment, domestic violence or sexual abuse against her partner. DCW chief Swati Maliwal demanded severe punishment to the accused. “What kind of cruel people there are in society. Police have arrested the accused and the cruel man should be punished severely,” he said in a tweet in Hindi referring to the incident. Former Delhi ACP police officer Ved Bhushan said: “Aftab watched a Dexter series to destroy evidence, cut the body parts into 35 pieces and dumped the body parts in the nearby jungle slowly. “She was active on social media and when she was not found active, her father approached the Mumbai police and then the investigation reached Delhi. There is scientific evidence available against Aftab. This is a case of conviction.” #Bombay
