Aftab knew how to preserve flesh: How the predator killed his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar

Aftab Poonawala, who is accused of murdering his live-in partner, Shraddha Walkar, and dismembering her body and scattering them across Mehrauli forest, was a trained chef a knew how to use knife to dismember and preserve flesh, cops told a Delhi court.

The court was hearing arguments on charges levelled by the Delhi Police against Aftab, where they said the circumstantial evidence in the case is powerful and compelling as it is well corroborated. The evidence is also consistent and leads to a logical conclusion that the murder was done by Poonawala, police submitted.

Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad argued the charges against Aftab, while advocate Javed Hussain appeared as the legal aid counsel for the accused.

Amit Prasad, appearing for the Delhi Police, submitted a 4-page synopsis establishing a timeline regarding the time that Poonawala and Walkar spent together in Mumbai and Delhi. He also narrated the entire sequence of the offence in the court.

Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar said the arguments on the charges have been heard and a short synopsis has been filed by the prosecution. The legal aid counsel has sought time to address the arguments and the ''remaining arguments on charge on March 20 at 2 pm'', Judge Kakkar said.

In the latest revelation in the gruesome murder that sent shock waves across the country, the police that Aftab, who has emerged as psychological killer of sorts, underwent training at the Taj Hotel and also knew how to preserve the flesh. Delhi police also told the court that Aftab ordered dry ice, incense sticks and chemicals to clean the floor after murdering his girlfriend.

Accused Aftab Poonawala requested to change his counsel

Aftab was also produced before the court where he submitted that he has changed his counsel from advocate M S Khan to advocate Javed Hussian. Additional sessions judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar granted time to the new legal aid to go through the case files and the case has now been listed for hearing on March 20.

Earlier on February 21, a magisterial court after taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed in the case, had committed the matter to the sessions court.

Police had file a 6,629-page chargesheet in the case on January 24.

A love story doomed from the start

Aftab and Shraddha met through a dating app Bumble in 2019 and later moved in together at a rented accommodation in Delhi's Chhattarpur area. Her parents were against the inter-faith relationship and had stopped talking to her after she decided to move to Delhi with him.

Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner, Shraddha Walkar, and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his Mehrauli residence in South Delhi's Mehrauli, before dumping them across the city over several days in the dark of night.

Aftab was arrested on November 12 and sent to five-day police custody, which was further extended by five days on November 17. On November 22, he was sent to police custody for four days. The court on November 26, sent him to judicial custody for 13 days.