Aaftab Poonawala had used a stone grinder on the bones of live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and disposed of the powder.
Her head was one of the last pieces, which he threw away after three months, the Delhi Police have claimed. The 6,600-page chargesheet of Delhi’s notorious fridge murder lists a series of gruesome details. Among other things, it also mentions that on May 18, after killing Shraddha, Poonawala had dined on a chicken roll brought from Zomato.
Shraddha Walkar and Aaftab Poonawala had moved to Delhi in May last year. But the relationship was shaky and the two argued over multiple issues, including expenses and the many girlfriends of Aftaab Poonawala. He had girlfriends “all the way from Delhi to Dubai,” the chargesheet mentions.
On May 18, the two had plans to go to Mumbai, but suddenly Aaftab Poonawala got the ticket cancelled. It was followed by yet another fight over expenses and in the heat of the moment, Poonawala strangled her.
The chargesheet says he initially thought of packing the body in a plastic bag and disposing of it. He had even bought a bag, but rejected the idea thinking he would get caught immediately. Finally, he decided to chop up the body and bought a saw, a hammer and three knives. Later, he had to use a blow torch, especially to separate the fingers.
The body, chopped into 35 pieces, was kept in the fridge. The chargesheet says Poonawala would take the packages out of the fridge and keep them in the kitchen whenever one of his girlfriends came visiting.
Poonawala had kept Shraddha Walkar’s cellphone. Google data revealed that her account was running from his phone after May 18. The chargesheet says he later disposed of her cellphone, along with her lipstick, in Mumbai.
Less than 20 pieces of Shraddha Walkar’s body have been recovered. The head is yet to be recovered.
In polygraph and narco-analysis tests held late last year, Aaftab Poonawala allegedly admitted to the murder. The chargesheet mentions that he claimed he felt remorse.
Poonawala’s confessions, though, may not be admissible as evidence. Even his initial confession made before the police cannot be used in court. Admissions by an arrested person can be used as evidence only when it is made before a magistrate.
The police are relying on forensic science to build a watertight case, and every step had to be independently corroborated.