Mehrauli murder: Aftab would have killed Shraddha ten days before

NEW DELHI: Aftaab Ameen Poonawala, who allegedly killed his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar would have killed her ten days before but he hesitated as she was crying, sources said.

"They had frequent fights, as Shraddha suspected that he was cheating on him, because he was active on the dating app Bumble on which the duo had met three years ago," said the sources.

"She knew that he was talking to other girls on the dating app and had lost interest in her," the sources claimed.

"After a fight, Aftab would have killed her 10 days before he did but Shraddha cried and he then hesitated," said the sources.

The police said that after chopping the body of his 27-year-old girlfriend into pieces on May 18, the accused bought a brand new refrigerator with a large storage capacity the next day and stored the remains in it.

To counter the stench, he lit incense sticks at his home.

Aftab was reportedly inspired by the American crime show 'Dexter', which tells the story of a man with homicidal tendencies who lives a double life.

Being a trained chef, Aftab was adept at using the knife, said sources. However, the knife used in the crime is yet to be recovered.

He had thrown the body pieces at Mehrauli forest over a period of 18 days. To avoid suspicion, he used to leave his house with a body part in a polybag at around 2 a.m.