In the case of Aaftab Amin Poonawala, the accused in the murder of his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, the Delhi police have filed a supplemental charge sheet with nearly 3,000 pages of additional digital and forensic evidence. Poonawala is alleged to have murdered Walkar, dismembered her body, and scattered the parts across Delhi. The new evidence, which includes Google location data, search history, and other forensic reports, is intended to bolster the case. According to court sources on Tuesday, a chargesheet of nearly 3,000 pages was submitted before Metropolitan Magistrate Aviral Shukla.
Case Facts.
Delhi Police took Aftab Poonawala in custody on November 12th, following his murder of Shraddha Walker in a Mehrauli flat in South Delhi. The accused reportedly killed his 27-year-old live-in spouse on May 18, 2022, and then dismembered and dumped her body in a nearby forested area over the course of the next two to three months, according to the Police.
On November 24, Aftab Poonawalla took a polygraph test in which he was questioned about his personal life as well as whether and how he had committed the crime in which he covered up the evidence. The same day, police sources reported that during the previous week, they had collected roughly ten to twelve “sharp objects”—knives, blades, saws, and other tools—from the couple’s Chhattarpur Pahadi apartment and the Mehrauli forest.
Walker’s neighbors, coworkers, and close friends testified that she and her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala “were in an unhealthy relationship” and that they frequently fought “over petty issues.” He would also “beat her badly and bang her head against the wall.”
According to police sources who spoke to The Indian Express, the accused allegedly took a second woman on a date to his rented apartment in Mehrauli, south Delhi, after dumping his partner’s body parts into a refrigerator.
Due to the fact that the victim’s body parts were discovered in different places, a DNA match established that the victim was Shraddha. He has been accused under the Indian Penal Code, sections 302 for murder and 201 for causing the disappearance of evidence of offense and is currently incarcerated at Tihar Jail.
Additional Information.
Also in a recent ruling related to the Shraddha Walkar murder case, the Delhi High Court instructed the authorities at Tihar Jail to allow Aaftab Amin Poonawala, the main suspect, to spend eight hours outside his cell each day, with the condition of being confined to solitary confinement at night. This decision came in response to a petition filed by Poonawala, arguing that solitary confinement cannot be justified under the pretext of security concerns. According to his legal representation, while other inmates are permitted eight hours of outdoor time daily, Poonawala purportedly receives only one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. “Since it is the appeal of the petitioner’s counsel, we direct the jail authorities to unlock him for eight hours, as applicable to other prisoners, and during the night, he be lodged in a solitary cell,” the High Court ordered. The prison authorities stated that Mr. Poonawala was segregated from other inmates due to perceived threats to his safety. Previously, a trial court had issued directives to ensure Mr. Poonawala’s security after he was assaulted while being transported to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini. According to Mr. Poonawala’s attorney, his client experiences minimal human interaction in jail and is subjected to solitary confinement despite not being involved in any infractions within the facility.
Delhi Police: Present Update.
Fast forward to now, Delhi Police sources said that the charge sheet mainly consisted of Google locations, search history and other digital and forensic evidence reports. The city cops have appealed this evidence further validating the charges against Poonawala.
