Shraddha Walkar murder: Court likely to frame charges against Aaftab Poonawala this week

The court is also likely to pass an order on an application that was submitted by Walkar’s father requesting the authorities to hand over her remains for completing her final rites.

A Delhi court on Tuesday framed charges of murder and disappearance of evidence against Aaftab Poonawala, who was arrested last year for allegedly killing his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar. (File)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Almost a year after Aaftab Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar to death and chopped her body into pieces, a Delhi court is likely to frame charges against him this week. The investigating authorities have concluded that Poonawala committed the murder around 6.30 pm on May 18 after a fight broke out between the couple over Walkar meeting a man through a dating app.

Additional sessions judge Vishal Pahuja had adjourned the order on framing of charges against Poonawala on April 29. The court is also likely to pass an order on an application that was submitted by Walkar’s father requesting the authorities to hand over her remains for completing her final rites.

Express Opinion | Deep, dark corners of the human mind

Both Poonawala and Walkar are from Mumbai and posed as a married couple to stay together in Mumbai before they eventually moved to Delhi.

Story continues below this ad

Their former landlady, Jayashree Patkar, at Regal Co-operative Housing Society in Vasai, had said that Poonawala and Walkar posed as a married couple while taking her house on rent because it was difficult for unmarried couples to find a house. She came to know that the duo were not married only after the news of Walkar’s death flashed on news portals.

Also, days after Walkar’s murder got highlighted, it further came to light that she had submitted a written complaint at the Tulinj police station in Mumbai on November 23, 2020, in which she accused Poonawala of hitting her and threatening to kill and cut her body into pieces. The police, however, claimed that Walkar withdrew the complaint 26 days after submitting it, stating that her dispute with Poonawala had been resolved.

Also Read | Shraddha, Aaftab and the many red flags

The Delhi Police have failed to locate her phone after looking for it in Bhayandar creek for days.

The police submitted a 6,629-page chargesheet against Poonawala charging him under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code on January 24.

Story continues below this ad

Also Read | 5 cases that rocked the capital, kept Delhi Police on their toes in 2022

The chargesheet has testimonies of over 182 witnesses. It states that Poonawala strangled Walkar and chopped her body into multiple pieces, and threw them in the Mehrauli jungle near their Delhi home.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram