Shradha Murder Case: Delhi Police Conduct Fresh Searches Across National Capital

A Delhi Police squad is reportedly also conducting searches in Gurgaon's forested regions close to the former workplace of Poonawala, according to official sources.

Representational Image. (Source: File Photo)

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Sunday conducted further searches across the national capital, including in the Chhattarpur forest and the neighbourhood where suspect in the Mehrauli murder case Aaftab Poonawala and Shradha Walkar, had resided, news agency PTI reported citing officials.

The police have increased their searches in Mehrauli and at Poonawala's apartment in an effort to find the last pieces of Walkar's corpse and the murder weapon before the remand of the accused ends on Tuesday.

A Delhi Police squad is reportedly also conducting searches in Gurgaon's forested regions close to the former workplace of Poonawala, according to official sources cited by PTI.

According to police officials, a different squad went to their apartment to gather evidence as part of the continuing investigation. Despite having received approval, detectives are pressed for time to conduct Poonawala's narcotics test.

Since Poonawala's five-day police detention expires the following day, the test would most likely be performed in Rohini's Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital on Monday.

Earlier on Thursday, a three-member team of Delhi Police reached Himachal Pradesh and questioned an owner of a guest house in Tosh in Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, where Shraddha Walkar and Aftab Poonawala stayed during their visit in April this year. 

"We will talk to the owners and staffers of hotels where the couple had stayed in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and also make them identify Poonawala. We will also take him to the forest area to ascertain the routes taken by him while dumping the severed body parts," a police official told PTI.

Poonawala is accused of killing Walkar by strangling her and sawing her body into 35 pieces, which he reportedly kept in a 300-liter refrigerator at his Mehrauli home for about three weeks before disposing of them over many days after midnight.

In an effort to find relevant evidence, the Delhi Police had dispatched teams to Maharashtra, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh on Friday.

Officials claim that Walkar and Poonawala visited a number of destinations after leaving Mumbai, including Himachal Pradesh. Police are currently investigating these areas to see whether any events during these travels may have caused Poonawala to kill Walkar.

(With Inputs From PTI)