In a chilling turn of events, Aaaftab Amin Poonawala, the accused in the sensational murder case of Shraddha Walkar, confessed to her father that he had "strangulated" her with "his own hands" before dismembering her body, as revealed during witness testimonies in a Delhi court.
Shraddha Walkar was allegedly killed by the accused, Aaaftab Amin Poonawala (28), on May 18 last year while they were in a live-in relationship. The accused reportedly dismembered her body and disposed of the body parts at various locations across Delhi to evade detection.
Vikas Madan Walkar, the father of the victim, testified as a prosecution witness before Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar. He narrated the shocking events that unfolded after he went to the Mehrauli police station on November 11, 2022, where police officials asked him if he recognized Poonawala, as reported by PTI.
Vikas Walkar confirmed Poonawala's identity as the person who had been living with his daughter for three years and revealed that Poonawala had been involved in several altercations with Shraddha. The police also questioned Poonawala about a transfer of funds from Shraddha's account on May 20, two days after her killing, to which he denied any involvement.
It was during this encounter that Poonawala disclosed to Vikas Walkar the horrifying details of Shraddha's murder. He admitted to having a heated argument with her on May 18, 2022, at their residence in Chhatarpur, after which he claimed to have strangled her to death with his own hands. Moreover, Poonawala revealed that he had later purchased tools, including a saw, two extra blades, and a hammer from a hardware store, and at night, he severed Shraddha's wrists before disposing of them in a polythene or trash bag.
The court heard how Poonawala and Shraddha's relationship had faced opposition from her family in 2019 when she decided to opt for a live-in relationship. Despite her father's disapproval, Shraddha asserted her right to make her own decisions as a 25-year-old woman.
The examination-in-chief of Vikas Walkar, the victim's father, is set to continue on August 5. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), witnesses are examined by the public prosecutor to support the prosecution's case, and the defense counsel will later cross-examine the witnesses.
