On November 17, a Delhi court gave clearance to conduct a narco-test analysis (lie-detection) on Aftab Amin Poonawala, accused of strangulating and chopping his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar into 35 pieces. Notably, the court has in its order said that the police cannot physically or mentally torture the accused during the narco test.
“The IO is also not to use any third-degree measures. MLC must be prepared in accordance with the rules,” according to the order. Metropolitan Magistrate Vijayshree Rathore directed the Rohini Forensic Science Laboratory to allow the investigating officer (IO) to conduct the accused’s narco-analytic test within five days.
Accused Aftab’s consent was recorded and he was informed about the legalities, procedural formalities, and consequences that will follow his approval. Only after the accused agreed to take the narco test, the court granted permission for the same to Delhi Police.
It is worth noting here that in 2010, the Supreme Court had held that the conduct of narco tests and brain-mapping, and polygraph without the consent of the accused was illegal.
Notably, during the police interrogation, Aftab gave contradictory statements, prompting Delhi Police to conduct the narco test. The Delhi Police approached the court and sought permission to conduct the narco test.
On Thursday, in a separate order, Magistrate Aviral Shukla extended the custody of the accused for five days. The cops reportedly told the court that certain important evidence was still missing and that Aftab needed to be remanded for a few more days. According to the reports, authorities are yet to locate the knife used by Aftab to execute the crime and Shradha Walkar’s mobile phone.
As many as 100 lawyers from Saket district courts gathered outside the court at around 3 PM and shouted slogans like “hang him, hang him”, “hang the killer of Shraddha”, and “hang such Love jihadis”, demanding the death penalty for the accused.
Accused Aftab Amin Poonawala admitted to having burnt his live-in partner Shraddha’s face after chopping her body into pieces, in order to hide her identity. Aftab first chopped her body into 35 pieces, then burnt her face in such a manner that it becomes unidentifiable even if the body parts are found.
Notably, Aftab confessed to the Delhi Police during interrogation that they had shifted from Mumbai to Delhi and had stayed in a hotel initially. Then the duo rented an apartment and soon got into a fight over shifting the household material from Mumbai to Delhi and also over the household expenses in Delhi. Aftab said that this was not the first time that they had engaged in a fight and that they had been fighting frequently over several other issues.
The Police also confirmed that the accused murdered Shraddha between 8 pm to 10 pm on May 18, and chopped her body into 35 pieces. He later stored the severed body parts in a refrigerator and disposed of the pieces in Delhi’s Mehrauli forest over the next 18 days.