India: Made up mind to kill Shraddha a week before, murderer tells cops

New Delhi: The accused in the horrific murder of Shraddha Walker, Aftab Amin Poonawalla, who killed his live-in partner and chopped her body into 35 pieces before dumping them in the forests of south Delhi’s Chhatarpur, said he had made up his mind to kill his girlfriend more than a week before the murder, Delhi Police sources told ANI on Tuesday.

“More than a week before the murder (May 18), I had made up my mind to kill Shraddha. Even on that day, Shraddha and I had a fight. I was determined to kill her when she suddenly became emotional and started crying. So I held back for later,” a Delhi Police source quoted Aftab as saying in his confession.

Aftab said his partner had trust issues because of which she would often get angry, leading to frequent quarrels.

“I often had to talk to someone over the phone, However, she would doubt my commitment to the relationship every time she caught me speaking over on the phone. She used to get very angry,” Aftab told Delhi Police.

Police said on further investigation, it was learnt that the couple had a fight on May 18 during which Aftab killed Shraddha.

“I was scared as I knew that if I dumped the body somewhere, I might be caught. I browsed Google all night to search for ways to dispose of the body and not arouse any suspicion. I also searched the internet on what kind of chopper would I have to use to piece the body,” the Delhi Police source quoted Aftab as saying.

Aftab also confessed to his fondness for watching web series and shows related to crime and it was from these shows that he borrowed ideas on preserving the chopped-off body parts and disposing of them later, police said, adding that he did it all by himself.

“I am fond of watching web series and serials on crime and it was while watchig these shows that I came up with ideas on preserving the body parts and keep Shraddha alive in the eyes of her family and friends. It was to preempt any doubts or suspicions on her whereabouts that I kept posting on Shradhha’s Instagram profile after the murder. I did it all by myself,” the accused told Delhi Police.

According to police sources, the accused first disposed of her liver and intestines after mincing them. Since he was a trained chef, he knew how to use the knife on her flesh, police added.

The liver and intestines were disposed of in the nearby forest area of Chattarpur and Mehrauli, sources said.

Death penalty demanded

Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, sources said the city police may write to the dating app, Bumble where the couple first met, seeking details of Aftab’s profile and the women who visited him after the murder.

Sources said the Delhi Police wants to ascertain if any of the women Aftab dated on the app was the reason why he killed Shraddha.

“Delhi Police may write to Bumble for details on Aftab’s profile and the women who visited him at his rented house while Shraddha’s body parts were still in the refrigerator. They want to ascertain if any of the women he dated was the reason for the killing,” a source said.

Bumble’s headquartered in Texas, United States.

Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi Police said it had already recovered about 12 body parts disposed of by Aftab. The accused was brought to the forest area Chhatarpur on Tuesday to help the sleuths recover the remaining body parts, sources said.

The parts recovered so far have been sent for examination to ascertain if they are human remains, according to police sources.

“About 12 body parts, suspected to be human, have been picked up by forensic experts for tests to confirm if they are the ones we are after. They will be matched with the DNA samples of her father,”a police source said on Tuesday.

However, sources in the police said the victim’s head hasn’t yet been traced.

Meanwhile, Shraddha’s father on Tuesday demanded death penalty for the accused.

Speaking to ANI, Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walker said, “We demand that Aftab be sentenced to death. I have faith in the Delhi Police as the investigation is moving in the right direction. Shraddha was close to her uncle and didn’t talk to me much. I was never in touch with Aftab. I lodged the first complaint in the case at Vasai (Mumbai).”

“I had spoken to Shraddha last in 2021. I would ask her to tell me more about her live-in partner. But she didn’t say much. I did not know she had shifted to Delhi. Her friend told me she was in Delhi. I thought that she was in Bangaluru. Aftab had a lot of time to remove all the evidence,” Shraddha’s father said.