Charges Framed Against Aaftab Poonawalla for Brutal Murder of Live-in Partner Shraddha Walkar

On Tuesday, a Delhi court heard arguments on framing charges against Aaftab Poonawalla, who is accused of brutally killing his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar. 

After considering the evidence presented by the prosecution, Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana determined that a prima facie case of murder was made out against Poonawalla and charged him with murder and causing disappearance of evidence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The court read out the charges to Poonawalla, who pleaded not guilty to the crimes. 

Poonawalla and Walkar had entered into a live-in relationship after meeting on mobile dating app, Bumble. They were initially based out of Mumbai before shifting to Delhi last year.

According to police investigating the crime, on May 18 last year, after a quarrel between the couple in a rented flat in Mehrauli, the accused strangulated the victim, chopped her body into 35 pieces, stored it in a fridge and later dumped the pieces in different parts of the city over the next 18 days. Poonawalla was first sent to police custody on suspicion post murder incident and later was remanded to judicial custody.

In November last year, the Delhi High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking the transfer of the investigation in the case from the Delhi Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court found no merit in the petition and imposed costs on the petitioners.

The case against Aaftab Poonawalla is now set to proceed in court, with the accused pleading not guilty to the charges of murder and causing disappearance of evidence. The prosecution will now present its evidence in order to prove that the accused is guilty of the crimes.