Delhi man kills live-in partner, chops body into 35 pieces, dumps them over 18 days
A man in Delhi allegedly killed his live-in partner, chopped her body into 35 pieces, and dumped them in different parts of Mehrauli forest over 18 days, the police said on Monday. The accused, identified as Aftab Ameen Poonawalla, has been arrested.
Poonawalla and his live-in partner, Shraddha, 26, apparently had a heated argument on May 26, during which he allegedly strangled her. Then, he allegedly chopped her body into 35 pieces and bought a fridge to store the parts and prevent the stench from spreading.
Over the next 18 days, he allegedly stepped out at 2 am every day to dump the pieces in different areas of Delhi’s Mehrauli forest, said sources. Police are now searching for those parts.
Family opposed relationship
Shraddha reportedly met Poonawalla, a chef, in Mumbai, where she worked at a multinational company’s call centre. The couple started dating and moved in together. However, Shraddha’s family was against their relationship. The couple then shifted to Delhi and started living in a flat in Mehrauli.
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Sharadha’s family suspected something amiss when she stopped posting updates on social media. They tried to contact her, but she stopped responding to their phone calls as well.
Finally, on November 8, Sharadha’s father Vikas Madaan came to Delhi to check on her. When he found their flat locked, he lodged a kidnapping complaint with Mehrauli police. Poonawalla had gone missing but he was found and arrested on Saturday.
Disagreement over marriage
एक रूह कँपाने वाले मामले में दिल्ली में एक लड़की को उसके बॉयफ्रेंड ने जान से मार दिया और उसके 35 टुकड़े कर फ्रिज में रखे! उसके शव के टुकड़ों को शहर के अलग अलग इलाक़ों में फेंका। समाज में कैसे कैसे दरिंदे पल रहे हैं। पुलिस ने आरोपी को गिरफ़्तार किया है, दरिंदे को कड़ी सजा हो। pic.twitter.com/aMppxvu8zv
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) November 14, 2022
During questioning, Poonawalla allegedly revealed that Shraddha and he fought frequently, as she wanted to marry him but he was not keen, police sources said.
Delhi Police said in a statement, “Mehrauli police solved a six-month-old case and arrested one Aftab for killing one Shraddha, chopping her into pieces and disposing of them. They fell in love while working in Mumbai and came here after families’ opposition. He murdered her when she started forcing him for marriage.”
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Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal tweeted on Monday: “In a spine-chilling case in Delhi, a woman’s boyfriend killed her, chopped her body into 35 pieces, and kept them in the fridge! He dumped the body pieces in different areas of the city. What kind of depraved people are thriving in society! Police have arrested the accused. He should be severely punished.”
(With agency inputs)
