The Delhi Police is unearthing fresh details related to the gruesome murder of 28-year-old Shraddha Walkar every day. The aspiring journalist was strangled by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala on May 18. He then chopped her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in South Delhi's Mehrauli, before dumping them across the city over several days past midnight.
The couple used to have frequent arguments over financial matters. Police suspect the couple fought over one such matter that resulted in Aftab killing Shraddha on the evening of May 18.
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Here’s what the police have revealed on the Delhi murder case so far:
Aftab Poured Hot Water On Body
According to Delhi Police sources, Aftab would pour hot water on Shraddha’s body to soften it so that it would be easy to chop. He bought an immersion rod water heater and a refrigerator on May 19. So that he could chop up the body and store it.
He would first heat the water, mix some bleaching powder in it, and pour it on Shraddha’s body to soften it after rigor mortis (stiffening of the body muscles due to chemical changes after death) set in. Police seized the fridge, the immersion water heater, a vacuum cleaner, and bleaching powder from Aftab's house.
Aftab Kept Bathroom Tap Open While Chopping Body
Aftab told the interrogation team that when he chopped up the body, he realized that blood would flow into the drain. Fearing detection, he would keep the bathroom tap open so that the blood would get diluted and no one would understand. He also used bleach to clean up the place. Aftab also revealed that he burnt Shraddha's face to hide her identity.
Aftab Would Invite Girls Home When Alone
During the probe, it came to the fore that Aftab befriended girls on social media and invite them to his house when he would be alone. Police said that he had made multiple accounts on various social media and dating platforms using different SIM cards. Police said Aftab befriended 15-20 girls, most of whom had come to his house. Police have now sought details of the accounts from dating platforms Bumble and Tinder.
Shraddha’s Head In Freezer
According to the sources, Aftab kept Shraddha's head in the freezer of the double-door refrigerator. He had packed the rest of the pieces of Shraddha’s body in a garbage bag and placed it in the lower compartment. Police have, so far, recovered 13 body parts believed to be of Shraddha, from different areas and have been sent for DNA analysis.
Narco Test For Aftab
The police have secured permission from a court to conduct a Narco analysis test on Aftab after they found that the accused had been giving incorrect information to mislead the investigation.
(With inputs from Ajatika Singh, Varun Jain)
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