Accused Taken To Forest in Delhi Live-In Partner Murder Case: Top Developments

(Trigger Warning: This article contains detailed information about a heinous murder. Reader discretion is advised)

A gruesome murder on Monday rocked Delhi.

As per media reports, cops arrested Aaftab Poonawala (28) on charges of killing his live-in partner, chopping her body into 35 pieces, and disposing of the body parts across different locations in the city. The deceased girl was identified as Shraddha Walkar (28).

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Here are the top developments in the case:

Accused taken to forest to recover body parts

As per reports, the Delhi police has taken the accused to the jungle area to recover other body parts. Earlier, on Sunday, 12 suspected body parts disposed off by Aaftab were recovered. All of the evidence picked by the forensic team has been sent for examination - where it will be matched with DNA samples of her father.

BJP stages protest in Mumbai

BJP has staged a protest in Mumbai, and the party's MLA Ram Kadam, who is leading it, has demanded that cops should also consider the "Love Jihad" angle during the probe in the murder case. According to reports, Union minister Giriraj Singh also has the same demand.

Father demands penalty for accused

Father of Shraddha Walker, a Maharashtra girl, on Tuesday demanded a death penalty for the accused while also suspecting a 'love jihad' angle behind the incident.

Swara Bhaskar calls it 'tragic'

Reacting to the incident, Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar hoped that 'speedy action' is taken in this case.

NO WORDS for how horrifying, gruesome & tragic this case is. My heart goes out to this poor girl-awful betrayal by someone she loved & trusted. Hope police speedily conclude their investigation & hope this monster gets the harshest punishment he thoroughly deserves. #shradhha ? https://t.co/W4w10JjdDf

¡ª Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) November 14, 2022

'NO WORDS for how horrifying, gruesome & tragic this case is. My heart goes out to this poor girl-awful betrayal by someone she loved & trusted. Hope police speedily conclude their investigation & hope this monster gets the harshest punishment he thoroughly deserves. #shradhha', she tweeted.

Accused Dated another woman after murder

Poonawala allegedly met another woman on Bumble - the same app where he had got in touch with Walkar. She had come to his house once or twice in June-July. Strangely, Walkar's body parts were still stored on the premises when the woman visited.

Remained active on Social Media

After murdering Shraddha, Aaftab remained active on social media. He interacted with the victim's friends to keep the murder hidden. He also paid her credit card bills to ensure that companies don't contact her at her Mumbai address, Indian Express reported.

'Choking partner was easy'

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During the questioning by Delhi police, the accused, seemingly undaunted by the incident, revealed that choking his live-in partner to death was easy, TOI reported. The accused further stated that getting rid of the body was even easier.

Poonawala used to cry in desperation

While revealing the details, the accused, reportedly a trained chef - used to get drunk and tie a cloth or mask - while executing the disposal. He sometimes became frightened and even cried in desperation, thinking about the situation he had gotten into.

Plan based on TV show, Google search

Delhi police revealed that Poonawala had surfed the internet for help. After searching for information on Google, he cleaned the stains from the floor with some chemicals and disposed of the cloth he used for washing it.

He then moved the body to the bathroom and purchased a refrigerator from a nearby shop.

Recent reports revealed that he used a mini saw to chop the body into pieces. The weapon is yet to be recovered.

As per police, only one weapon was used to chop Shraddha¡¯s body parts. Aftab had used a mini saw to chop off the body parts. The mini saw is yet to be recovered.Aftab broke down after they grilled him when he gave confused timelines of when Shraddha left him: Delhi Police Sources

¡ª ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2022

After storing the body pieces in the refrigerator, he used deodorants and incense sticks to keep the stench away.

It has also come to light that the accused had watched many crime movies and web series - including the popular American TV show 'Dexter' - before committing the crime.

Neighbours didn't suspect the accused

After storing the body, Poonawala - in a 16-days detailed plan - dumped the body into drains and forested areas.

He used to carry one or two parts in bags and cut them into smaller pieces to avoid alerting ragpickers and drawing suspicion from neighbours. The residents of street No. 1 in Chhatarpur Pahadi - where the accused had rented a flat with her partner - stated that they were surprised when this reveal happened.

No one recalled seeing the man stressed. "He behaved like a normal person, and there was a sense of calmness on his face," Kusum Lata, a neighbour, told TOI. Poonawala had moved into the flat on May 15 and killed Walkar three days later.

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