Aftab, accused in Shraddha murder case, moves Delhi court for bail

Aftab Poonawala, the suspect in the sensational Shraddha Walkar murder case, has filed a petition at the Delhi Saket court seeking bail. Poonawala, who is accused of killing his live-in partner and cutting her up into pieces and strewing them in a forest area in Mehrauli, is currently in judicial custody and housed in the Tihar Jail.

Ponnawala’s bail plea is expected to be heard on Saturday, December 17.

His bail plea comes in the backdrop of what the police see as a breakthrough in the investigation into the murder case that rocked the nation. The DNA extracted from the bone pieces recovered in the Mehrauli forest matched with her father’s samples and this is considered to be a turning point for the Delhi police and will help them to make the case stronger against Poonawala.

An official told the media that this is a positive development and a push to the ongoing investigation. And, that it would help them to present a powerful case now in the court.

The police have received the DNA test report from the CFSL and the polygraph test too has been obtained from the FSL, Rohini. However, the results of the narco test, which was conducted earlier in December are still awaited.

Meanwhile, the Delhi L-G VK Saxena has approved the Delhi Police’s proposal to  appoint special public prosecutors, Madhukar Pandey and Amit Prasad, to represent the state in the Shraddha Walkar murder case.

Also read: Aftab confessed to killing Shraddha in polygraph test, had no remorse: Reports

The murder that shook the nation

Poonawala was arrested on November 12. The Delhi Police teams investigating the case had recovered 13 bone pieces after the accused told the investigators that he chopped her body into several pieces and dumped them in a nearby forest area.

Blood samples from the bathroom and kitchen were recovered by the forensic officials from the Chattarpur house, in which Poonawala and Walkar were living.

Also read: Mehrauli killing: Experts say Aaftab Poonawalas confessions have no legal validity

Walkar and Poonawala, who had met through the dating app ‘Bumble’ in 2018, purportedly had a volatile relationship. Walkar had also submitted a written complaint to the police in Mumbai about Poonawala’s physical abuse and his threats to kill her. But, subsequently, the two patched up and they had come to Delhi on May 8 and shifted to the Chattarpur area on May 15.

On May 18, Poonawalla allegedly killed Shraddha, chopped her body into 35 pieces and stored them in a fridge before disposing them them off at various places over a period of 18 days.

Meanwhile, Shraddha’s father said that he is aware that the DNA samples (his own with that of the bones that were recovered) have matched. “Let’s see what happens,” Vikas Walkar told reporters on Friday (December 16). Earlier, he had expressed the view that his daughter would have been alive if her police complaint had been taken seriously. He is now seeking more information regarding the complaint filed by his daughter in 2020 since he feels that it might be useful for the case in the future.