Shraddha Walkar murder: Aftab came with knife wounds, says doctor
More witnesses are emerging in the gruesome murder of Shraddha Walkar in Delhi. A doctor who treated the accused Aftab Ameen Poonawalla for a knife wound in May recently made a statement that brought another aspect to the crime. According to PTI, Dr. Anil Kumar informed authorities that the accused visited him in May and claimed to have been injured while chopping fruits.
Why does this story matter?
The Delhi Police arrested Poonawalla on Saturday for murdering Walkar in May, chopping up her body into 35 pieces, and then disposing of it in a forest. The couple had met years ago while working at a Mumbai call center. After a few years of their relationship, they moved to Delhi as the deceased's parents disapproved of it.
What exactly did the doctor say?
Dr. Kumar recalls Poonawalla being quite agitated and restless when he came to him for treatment. When the doctor queried about his injuries, he replied he got cuts while chopping fruit. "When I saw him, I found it was not a deep injury but a superficial one," he said. "I didn't have any doubt as it was a small clean knife cut," said Kumar.
Poonawalla was 'very aggressive' and 'restless': Dr. Kumar
Poonawalla was "very aggressive" and "restless" when undergoing treatment in May, according to Kumar. "Two days ago, police brought him to my hospital and asked whether I had treated this guy. I recognized him and said yes," PTI quoted him as saying. "When police informed me about the incident, I was shocked," he said.
'He looked into my eyes while speaking'
"He looked into my eyes while speaking. He was very bold and confident. He was speaking in English and told me he was from Mumbai and came to Delhi as the city has good opportunities in the IT sector," Kumar said.
Some graphic details of the murder
The couple reportedly got into a fight on May 18 as Walkar wanted to get married. She reportedly started shouting, and Poonawalla, in an attempt to restrain her so that the neighbors wouldn't hear anything, ended up strangulating her. After her death, Poonawalla allegedly chopped the body with a saw and used potpourri and room fresheners to hide the stench of the corpse.
Poonawalla dumped her body in Mehrauli forest
After chopping her body, Poonawalla used to visit the Mehrauli forest every night for 18-20 days to dispose of her body parts one by one. Even though she had stopped speaking to her family, Walkar still used to post photos on Facebook, from where the victim's family inferred her whereabouts. However, her family grew suspicious when she didn't post anything for a few weeks.
Walkar family filed missing complaint in May
Walkar's family lodged a missing complaint in Mumbai in May. Last week, the family visited the couple's rented house in Delhi but found it locked. Then the Mumbai Police coordinated with the Delhi Police, following which a kidnapping case was filed and Poonawalla was arrested. He confessed to the crime, and police found related evidence. Efforts to recover the remaining body parts are on.
