Shraddha murder case: With ply-cutter and loud music, Aftab hacked body over four days

Aftab Poonawala, who murdered his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, dismembered her body and disposed of the pieces, has again changed his statement about the weapon used to chop the corpse. He had first said that he used a handsaw, but later confessed to using a hacksaw blade, hammer and nails. Now, he claimed that he used a plywood cutter machine and that he played loud music to drown out the noise.

The Delhi police will corroborate his statement during polygraph and narco analysis tests.

Also read: Shraddha murder: Cops to question Mumbai's 5-star hotel staff where Aftab worked

The flat (green) in Chhattarpur Hills where Aftab Poonawala killed Shraddha Walkar

A source in Delhi police said that as per Poonawala's statement, which is yet to be corroborated with evidence, he killed Walkar on May 18 over an argument regarding marriage. "He said he first choked her with his hand and then cut up her body over the next few days and stored them in the fridge he had bought on May 19," a police officer said. Delhi police suspect that he used all of these weapons over a period of three to four days to chop the body into small pieces to make it easier to dispose of.

Chilling details

Poonawala has revealed horrifying and minute details about how he proceeded to cut up Walkar's body, starting from her leg to her torso. He also said that he broke her skull in pieces with the hammer and then dumped it in a pond in Mehrauli forest. While he told cops that he first disposed of her internal organs and intestines, the police suspect that he flushed these in the toilet using lots of water as his water bill for May and June was very high.

The lane in front of the rented flat (on left) where Poonawala killed Walkar, at Chhattarpur Hills, Delhi; (right) Officers from Mehrauli police station are in the probe team

So far, 15 to 17 pieces of bones have been recovered from Mehrauli and Gurugram forest areas.

"We have involved various teams of forensic experts and AIIMS employees to get some initial reports to ascertain if the human remains we found are of male or female. Once confirmed, we can get the DNA test done. Experts will also give their opinion about which weapons were used in the process," a police officer said.

Sources in the police department also said Poonawala used multiple phone numbers after committing the crime, as several phone bills with different phone numbers were found from his flat.

Sources from Mehrauli police said that so far 20-25 statements have been recorded in Mumbai, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana in connection with the case.

Polygraph first

Delhi police said that all the details Poonawala has shared will be corroborated through polygraph and narco analysis tests. The police had already sought permission for narco test from the court and the application was granted. The test was supposed to take place on Monday but has now been delayed as they will first conduct a polygraph test. The polygraph test will reveal what lies Poonawala has told so far, and based on this, cops will question him during the narco analysis.

"The police moved an application for a polygraph test on Monday and the court has allowed it," said Advocate Abinash Kumar, who represented Poonawala.

Push for CBI probe

Meanwhile, a private lawyer has filed a writ petition before the Delhi High Court seeking transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The lawyer claimed that the Delhi police are incompetent to investigate the case as the murder happened six months ago. The lawyer further alleged that the Delhi police are also leaking crucial information to the media, which is not permissible as per law.

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Day in May Poonawala bought the fridge