Clue that led to Aftab Poonawala’s arrest: Web search history

A cop with Aftab Poonawala (in mask), in New Delhi, on Tuesday. Pic/ANI

The Delhi police have said that the Google search history of Aftab Poonawala gave him away. According to sources at Mehrauli police station in the national capital, the 28-year-old had searched ways to dispose of a body. On being informed by their Manikpur (Vasai) counterpart on November 9 that Poonawala's live-in partner Shraddha Walkar was missing, the Mehrauli police filed a case of kidnapping. "As Poonawala was the prime suspect, according to the father, we detained him from his house on November 10," a senior officer of Delhi police said.

The officer said that when Poonawala at the police station, "was so calm and composed that cops didn't suspect anything wrong on his part". As Walkar's father was also at the police station, he was confronted over the allegations of harassment and beating. "He said that there used to be fights between them, but he was not aware of her whereabouts since she left him in May," he added.

Meanwhile, an officer took his mobile phone to check his claims and found he had deleted several chats with Walkar. "While one officer asked him questions related to the missing person complaint, another officer checked his Google search history and found something suspicious," the officer said. The cops then confronted him with the Google history, which included searches about chemicals to dispose of a body, ways to chop a body, etc. "He was taken aback and did not have anything to say. During further questioning, he confessed to committing the crime, in front of Walkar's father," an officer said.

Also Read: Poonawala used to give cigarette burns to Walkar, claims her friend

Walkar's father was shocked to hear about the murder and broke down. "Based on his confession, he was arrested and the kidnapping case was converted into murder case against Aftab Poonawala," the officer added. The Delhi cops also rejected the Manikpur police's claim that their investigation helped in the arrest of Poonawala. "The Manikpur cops only informed us about the missing person complaint of Walkar and told us that her last location was at Mehrauli in Delhi," they added.

Poonawala's polygraph test concluded at Forensic Science Laboratory. He was brought to the FSL at 11.30 am and taken back to Mehrauli police station at 8.24pm. His Narco test will likely be conducted on Friday. Sources told mid-day that Aftab didn't respond to some questions during the polygraph test. He did not cooperate, they said, adding, the cops asked him questions in Hindi, but he answered in English.

Father suspects he moved to Delhi to kill Walkar

The Delhi police now suspect that Walkar's murder was pre-planned, with her father giving the statement that he suspects that Poonawala shifted to Delhi with his daughter to execute his plan. Walkar's 2020 letter to the Vasai police is another reason for Delhi cops' suspicion. If they get any leads during the polygraph and narco tests, police will add Section 120b (criminal conspiracy) in the case, sources said. The police are also investigating to find out whether Poonawala's family members knew about the murder.