Shraddha murder case: Accused Aftab inspired by crime show 'Dexter'

NEW DELHI: Aftab Amin Poonawalla, the accused in the horrific Shraddha murder case, had watched many crime movies and web series including 'Dexter' before committing the crime, revealed Delhi Police sources. Delhi Police solved a six-month-old blind murder case, and arrested a man for allegedly killing his 28-year-old live-in partner, chopping her body into 35 pieces and disposing of them at different places in and around the national capital.

The accused identified as Aftab Amin Poonawalla (28), a resident of Mumbai, was caught on Saturday on the basis of the deceased's father's complaint and has been sent to police remand for five days, the police said on Monday. Officials said that the victim, identified as Shraddha Walker (27) from Mumbai, met the accused while working at a call center in Mumbai. "The two got together via a dating app in Mumbai.

They were in a live-in relationship for three years and had shifted to Delhi. Soon after the two shifted to Delhi, Shraddha started pressurizing the man to marry her," Additional DCP-I South Delhi Ankit Chauhan told ANI. "The two quarrelled frequently and it used to get out of control. In this particular instance that occurred on May 18, the man lost his temper and strangled her," said Chouhan.

"The accused told us that he chopped her into pieces and disposed of her parts in nearby areas in the jungle area of Chhatarpur Enclave. He has been arrested and investigation is going on," added Chouhan.

The accused allegedly chopped her body into 35 pieces, bought a refrigerator and kept them in it. He later started disposing of the body pieces at different locations in and around Delhi during night hours for the next 18 days, said sources. Sources further said, Aftab used to sleep every day in the same room where he had chopped the body after killing Shraddha. He used to see the face after keeping it in the fridge. Aftab had cleaned the fridge after disposing of the body parts.

Sources said Aftab had relations with many girls even before Shraddha. Before committing the crime, he also watched many crime movies and web series, including the American crime drama series Dexter. In September, the victim's friend informed her family that there was no contact with Shradhha for the last two and a half months and her mobile number was also switched off. Her family also checked her social media accounts and found no updates during this period.

In November, the victim's father Vikash Madan Walker, a resident of Palghar (Maharashtra), approached Mumbai police and lodged a missing person's complaint. During the initial investigation, the victim's last location was found in Delhi, and on the basis of this, the case was transferred to Delhi police. The victim's father told the police about his daughter's relationship with Aftab and suspected his involvement in his daughter's absence.

During the investigation, it was found that Aaftab and Shraddha had come to Delhi and started living in a rented apartment in Chhatter Pur Pahadi area. The police during the course of the investigation, traced Aftab and nabbed him. The accused, during questioning, confessed to the crime and said that they fought often as Shraddha was pressurizing him for marriage. "The accused has been arrested and a case under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed) has been registered at Mehrauli police station," officials said. Police also recovered some bones recovered from the accused's rented flat and officials said that the efforts to recover the remaining parts of the body were on.