Aftab Ameen Poonawala burnt live-in partner Shraddha Walkar’s face after allegedly murdering her and chopping the body into pieces to rule out the possibility of identification, Delhi Police sources have said.
Twenty-eight-year-old Aftab, sources said, has told police that he found such information on how to conceal evidence on the internet. Earlier reports have said that he was also “inspired” by crime shows, including Dexter.
Police have so far found about 10 body parts from Mehrauli forest, where Aftab allegedly disposed them of. These parts have been sent for DNA testing. Several body parts, including the head, are missing and search is on for them.
The missing body parts, the murder weapon and Shradhaa’s clothes at the time of murder are key evidence the police need to make their case foolproof. Sources say the probe into the grisly murder currently hinges on forensic reports, call data and circumstantial evidence.
To locate Shraddha’s clothes, police have started tracking the civic network of waste collection. According to sources, police have identified two dumping spots for waste from the neighbourhood where the couple lived. Search is on for Shraddha’s clothes at these spots.
The probe into the horrifying crime has also led police to the eastern part of the city. Sources have said that a human head and other body parts, unidentified so far, were found in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar days after Aftab allegedly killed Shraddha.
These body parts, which were found in the same area at different times within a week, have now been sent for DNA testing to find if they are linked to the Shraddha Walkar murder case, the source said.
Aftab was arrested earlier this month and police say he has confessed to killing Shraddha following frequent fights over her wish to get married. On May 18, he allegedly killed her, chopped off her body into 35 pieces and disposed them of over 18 days.
The couple, originally from Vasai in Maharashtra, connected on dating app Bumble. Shraddha’s family had objected to the relationship, following they moved to Delhi recently.
Shraddha was killed days after they moved to Delhi following a fight that started with an argument over sharing household expenses and ended with Aftab allegedly strangling the 26-year-old.
Chilling findings in the case include reports that Aftab bought a fridge especially to store body parts for days before he disposed them of. A water bill, pointing to disproportionate consumption for a home of two, is also being looked into by police, sources said.
