Shraddha murder: Delhi police recover 10 samples from Mehrauli forest, to be sent for DNA analysis

The Delhi police on Tuesday took Aftab Amin Poonawalla, the accused in the gruesome murder of Shraddha Walkar, to the Mehrauli forest area where he alleged disposed of parts of her body.

Aftab strangled Shraddha, his live-in partner, cut her body into 35 pieces and dumped these in different parts of the forest in May.

The police took Aftab to the crime scene on Tuesday morning. Around 10 samples of remains suspected to be of a human have been recovered, ANI tweeted, citing police sources. Forensic experts will ascertain if they are all human remains. “They will be sent to match DNA samples of her father. Search on for other parts,” Delhi police sources said.

Shraddha met Aftab at the call centre where she was working. They moved in together into a flat in Mehrauli after dating for a few months. Aftab murdered Shraddha after they got into an argument over the subject of marriage. On May 18, when the argument broke out between them, Aftab tried to shut her mouth with his hand. He later allegedly strangulated her, police said.

The next day, he purchased a saw and a 300-litre refrigerator, taking inspiration from American crime drama Dexter. Aftab had studied hotel management and worked as a chef a few years ago. He had undergone a two-week training on how to cut meat, which he used to chop Sneha's body. He stored the pieces in the deep freezer, and over a span of 20 days, took out the pieces, packed them in polythene bags and dropped them in the forest. 

Even after the chilling murder, Aftab reportedly met another woman on a dating platform and brought her home frequently while Shraddha's body parts were still in the house. He also tried to cover up Shraddha's murder by impersonating as her and chatting with her friends on Instagram till June.