Shraddha Walkar Murder Case: Victim's Father Reveals Accused Informed Him About Strangling Her

The murder case of Shraddha Walkar witnessed a significant turn when the victim's father made a startling revelation in a Delhi court on July 31. As witnesses were giving their statements in the sensational murder case, Vikas Walkar, the father of the deceased, testified that the accused, Aftab Amin Poonawala, had confessed to him that he strangulated Shraddha with his own hands. He further disclosed that after strangling her, Poonawala bought a saw, dismembered her wrists, and placed them in a trash bag.

Vikas Madan Walkar, appearing as a prosecution witness before Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar, narrated the incident. He recalled going to Mehrauli police station on November 11, 2022, where the officials asked him if he recognized Poonawala. He confirmed Poonawala's identity as the person who had been living with his daughter for the last three years. He also informed the police that Poonawala had frequently quarreled with and physically abused Shraddha.

At the police station, he witnessed officials interrogating Poonawala about the transfer of money from Shraddha's account on May 20, two days after the killing. Poonawala denied any such transaction, which puzzled him. Upon further inquiry, Poonawala confessed to killing Shraddha during an argument on May 18, 2022, at their Chhatarpur residence. He admitted to strangling her with his own hands.

Vikas Walkar continued, stating that Poonawala revealed he had purchased a saw, additional blades, and a hammer from a hardware store. He proceeded to dismember Shraddha's wrists at night and placed them in a polythene or trash bag.

The victim's father also mentioned his first meeting with Poonawala in January 2020, after his wife's death, when Shraddha introduced the accused to her family in Mumbai. When the family objected to Shraddha's decision to have a live-in relationship with Poonawala in 2019, she asserted her independence as a 25-year-old woman, stating that her father could no longer consider her his daughter.

The examination-in-chief of the victim's father will continue on August 5, as per the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Witnesses are examined by the public prosecutor to support the prosecution's case, and afterward, the defense counsel cross-examines the witnesses.

Shraddha Walkar was allegedly strangulated by accused Poonawala on May 18 last year, and her dismembered body parts were scattered in different locations across Delhi over several days. Some of the body parts were later discovered near the accused's house in a forest area.