New Delhi (India), May 9, 2023: Aftab Poonawala, accused of murdering his live-in girlfriend Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into pieces, has had charges framed against him by Delhi’s Saket court.
The Delhi Police had booked Poonawala under Sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code, and the court has now examined the evidence produced by the police and framed the charges. Poonawala has denied the charges and demanded a trial, which has been posted for further proceedings on June 1.
Shraddha Walkar’s father, Vikas Walkar, had demanded that the case be fast-tracked so that he could perform her last rites, threatening to go on a hunger strike if it was not done within a month. The court had earlier adjourned the hearing on an application by Vikas Walkar to hand over his daughter’s remains to the family for the last rites.
Shraddha was allegedly strangled by Poonawala on May 18 last year, and her body was sawed into pieces and kept in a fridge for almost three weeks before being scattered in different places in the capital.
The Delhi Police conducted a narco-analysis test and a polygraph test and collected DNA evidence to establish the allegations against Poonawala. Over 150 witnesses were reportedly examined, and their statements have been recorded.
The Delhi High Court had on April 20 restrained all news channels from airing the contents of the charge sheet, saying the broadcast of the recording of narco-analysis would prejudice the case. Poonawala has been in custody since November 12, 2022.
