Shraddha Walkar murder: DNA tests, 55 witnesses, cell phone logs in police case

A mix of forensic and electronic evidence along with the testimonies of 55 people is likely to form the core of Delhi Police’s prosecution of Aaftab Poonawala, who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend Shraddha Walkar and getting rid of her body piece by piece, according to officials who cited details from a draft charge sheet.

Running into more than 3,000 pages, the charge sheet sets out to tie a host of circumstantial clues and confessions to police by Poonawala, normally not admissible in a trial, with material evidence such as DNA matches of human remains and mobile network logs.

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“We have received the crucial test reports such as the DNA profiling evidence that confirmed the bones are Walkar’s. Many test results are yet to come. Apart from it, the electronic evidence connects Poonawala to the murder. The two types of evidence (forensic and electronic) prove our case beyond doubt that she was murdered by Poonawala. This is enough to support our case,” said a police officer, asking not to be named.

Walkar’s murder in May last year did not come to light for months, and police spent weeks trying to find remains of her body, which Poonawala purportedly confessed to having chopped up in 35 pieces before scattering them in urban forests in South Delhi.

From a prosecution standpoint, Poonawala’s confession to police would not have been enough for a conviction. The key breakthrough came when 13 decomposed body parts, mostly pieces of bones, retrieved on Poonawala’s insistence led to a DNA match that confirmed the 27-year-old was murdered.

That she was murdered by Poonawala will now have to be established in court, which the police intends to do with witness testimonies, including those who were aware of the alleged domestic abuse that Walkar suffered, and phone records that establish the last person she was seen with was her partner.

“Even the results of the narco test, though inadmissible during trial, are positive and support our case. Our case is that he strangled her with his hands and then used a saw and many other tools to chop the body parts,” the officer said, adding that police have mentioned in the charge sheet that Poonawala murdered Walkar after a fight on the evening of May 18.

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Two DNA reports have confirmed that bones retrieved from forests in South Delhi belong to Walkar. A third forensic report also confirmed that traces of blood found in the Chhattarpur flat where the couple lived belonged to Walkar and that an analysis of the remains confirmed it was chopped by a saw, tying in with what Poonawala said.

Police have recovered a saw, several knives and many other tools from the flat where Walkar was killed last year.

Listing some of the crucial electronic circumstantial evidence against Poonawala, the officer said that Poonawala continued to use Walkar’s phone and credit cards even after she was murdered. Police are also basing their case on the fact that Walkar was last seen alive in the company of her boyfriend, Poonawala, which is also proven by the cell phone location of the Walkar and Poonawala’s phones. While Walkar was murdered on May 18, police have electronic evidence to prove that Poonawala was using her phone and social media accounts until May 29 after which the phone was never switched on.

Among the witness are at least 15 of Walkar’s friends and former co-workers. One of the important witnesses is Rahul Rai, who, along with another person, helped Walkar approach Mumbai police in December 2020 with a complaint of assault against Poonawala. The man has supposedly told police that Walkar spoke of death threats by Poonawala on two occasions — on both these occasions, he had purportedly said he would strangle her to death.

Poonawala, a call centre executive, was arrested by Delhi Police on November 12. From Vasai near Mumbai, the couple was in a relationship for years and had moved to Delhi in May 2022.

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Walkar was estranged from her family, who said they opposed her relationship with Poonawala. The murder came to light when a friend informed Walkar’s father, Vikas Madan Walkar, that he had not heard from her for at least two months.

Her father then informed Mumbai Police in October. A month-long probe by Mumbai police led them to Mehrauli police station area in south Delhi, where the two had rented a one-bedroom flat. The joint probe led police to unearth one of the most horrific murders of last year.

On November 12, 2022, after days of interrogation, Poonawala is said to have told the police that he murdered Walkar in their Chhattarpur flat on May 18, 2022, chopped her body into at least 35 pieces over two days, stored them in a refrigerator for about three months, and dumped the parts piece by piece.