The sensational murder of a 26-year-old woman by her 28-year-old live-in partner in Delhi has sent shock waves across the country. As the gory details of the crime unfolded on Monday, people stuck glued to their television and cellphone screens. While some demanded “justice for daughters of India”, others wondered how could an “LGBT activist, who backed ban on Diwali crackers” could chop his lover into 35 pieces.
As News18 tried to read into the minds of predators, some of us were also reminded grisly killings India has seen over the years. And not to forget, Netflix’s true crime docuseries, ‘Indian Predator’.
Accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala, who strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar at their Delhi flat, used to chat with Shraddha’s friends through her Instagram account, in a bid to stave off suspicion. One of the victim’s childhood friends, Laxman Nadar, had tipped off her family when he last heard from Walkar through an SMS in June. The message came a month after she was killed.
“I was worried about Shraddha since July as there wasn’t any reply from her side. Her phone was switched off too. After enquiring about her among her other friends, I informed her brother and we approached the police,” Nadar said.
Delhi police is now trying to get in touch with other friends, while Poonawala’s social media account is being scanned. A Delhi police officer said that his past relationships will be analyzed too, and four of his friends who met him before he had a relationship with Walkar will be contacted.
Reports stated that the cops are still looking for the body parts and have found only about 14 of those which will be examined by forensic officials and sent for a DNA match.
Poonawala, a Trained Chef & Inspired by American Crime Show ‘Dexter’
Poonawala had once trained as a chef and was adept at cutting meat. According to a report in Times of India, After strangulating Walkar, the accused used a meat cleaver on the body, unfolding an elaborate plan to evade suspicion and cover his tracks. Out every night at 2am, he even fed the body parts to stray animals hoping to destroy evidence.
Poonawala kept parts of Walkar’s body in a refrigerator he bought for the purpose, and then scattered those, one by one, across the city’s Mehrauli forest, reports stated. To counter the stench in the apartment, he would light agarbatti or incense sticks, it’s alleged. The investigators said that he was “inspired” by American crime show ‘Dexter’.
The case has elements from fictional stories in the show ‘Dexter’, in which the protagonist is a forensics expert who leads a parallel life as a vigilante serial killer.
Aaftab Made Love to Several Women
Poonawala had reportedly kept interacting with woman on dating apps even after killing Walkar. He had invited one of them of his rented accomodation in Delhi’s Chhattarpur. This woman, however, was not the only one to have visited the house unaware of Walkar’s dismembered body lying in the fridge. Poonawala continued to meet several women on the dating app after killing Walkar, some of his friends, food delivery persons, and many others frequented the house.
Journey from Mumbai to Delhi — Background of Poonawala & Walkar
Both Poonawala and Walkar were from Vasai and had met on a dating app and moved in together to a rented apartment in Naigaon in 2019. Walkar worked for an IT-based call centre in Malad while Poonawala took up graphic design assignments. In March 2022, they shifted to Delhi. Back from a vacation in north India, Shraddha went incommunicado in May. While Walkar was not in touch with her parents – she lost her mother in January 2020 – she would often reach out to her friends. Poonawala would, however, visit his parents’ home.
“The victim worked in a call centre in Mumbai. She was in a relationship with Aaftab Poonawala who also worked in the same call centre. They were working there since 2019. On opposition from the victim’s family, the couple started living in Naigaon and then shifted to Delhi,” Vasai police inspector Sampat Patil said.
“Her family could not contact her once she shifted to Delhi in May this year. Her father had also filed a missing person complaint with Vasai police in October. Police probed the case and reached Delhi,” he said.
Reactions Over Grisly Murder
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has condemned the gruesome murder and said that the offender should be punished severely. Taking to Twitter, Ramesh said that Shraddha and the daughters of India deserve justice.
“The entire nation is shocked and angry at the brutality with which Aftab Poonawalla killed his live-in partner Shraddha Walker. No words can describe this trauma. This is a heinous crime. The offender should be punished severely. Shraddha and the daughters of India deserve justice,” Ramesh tweeted.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ram Kadam will lead a protest around noon to seek justice for Walkar. He has demanded that the Delhi Police should also consider the “Love Jihad” angle while investigating the Mehrauli murder case. “#JusticeForShraddha I request Delhi Police to probe if the brutal murder of Vasai resident #Shraddha Walkar was a conspiracy case of #LoveJihad? Was accused forcing #Shraddha to convert and hence torturing her? Did she refuse to convert and that is why he took her life?” Kadam tweeted.
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