Shraddha murder case: Aaftab Poonawalla withdraws bail plea citing miscommunication
While the entire nation is still getting to grips with the disturbing details of the Shraddha Walkar murder, there has been another twist in the case. Accused Aaftab Poonawalla officially withdrew his bail application on Thursday before Delhi's Saket court. Poonawalla's lawyer stated that the bail plea was earlier filed as a result of "miscommunication."
Why does this story matter?
Poonawalla was arrested on November 12 for the alleged murder of Walkar by Delhi Police on May 18, cutting her body into 35 pieces and disposing of them in a forest. As per reports, he also stored the remains of the victim in a fridge for days. Authorities conducted numerous polygraph and narco tests on Poonawalla, but he reportedly showed zero remorse.
More on Poonawalla's bail application
The primary accused in the Walkar murder case moved to the Saket court on December 16, appealing for bail. However, on Thursday, Poonawalla appeared before the court via video conferencing and denied applying for bail. On December 9, the court had extended the accused's judicial custody for 14 more days. Poonawalla remains in judicial custody till Friday at Tihar jail in Delhi.
Bail petition dismissed
M S Khan, Poonawalla's private advocate, told the Delhi court that the bail plea was filed due to some "miscommunication" between the accused and him. "Bail petition dismissed as withdrawn and not pressed," The Times of India quoted additional sessions judge Vrinda Kumari as saying.
Shraddha Walkar's murder details
On May 18, Poonawalla and Walkar reportedly got into a fight at their rented Delhi apartment as the victim wanted to get household items from her hometown Vasai, Maharashtra. When Walkar started shouting, Poonawalla reportedly strangled her to death in his attempt to restrain her. The accused told the cops that he was under the influence of drugs on the night of Walkar's murder.
Narco and polygraph tests on Poonawalla
Even though it's inadmissible in court, Poonawalla was made to undergo polygraph and narco tests by investigators to filter his conflicting statements. Authorities were even more suspicious about him as he was highly cooperative and gave away details easily. Under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), statements recorded in front of a magistrate are sustained in court.
Police recovered potential murder weapons
The investigators recovered evidence based on the accused's statement during his police custody. In November, the Delhi Police retrieved five knives in total, all around 5-6 inches in length, which Poonawalla reportedly used to chop the victim's body. Meanwhile, the police also confirmed that the saw used by the accused after murdering Walkar is still missing.
