Given that 20,000 litres of water in Delhi are provided free of charge by the government, the Delhi Police have discovered a new lead in the investigation of the murder of Shraddha Walker when they discovered an unpaid water bill in accused Aftab Poonawalla’s apartment, according to the sources.
The accused will be brought before Saket Court by the Delhi Police, who will also seek his further custody. According to the sources, Aftab’s neighbours told the police that he has an outstanding bill for Rs 300.
Given that the Delhi government provides 20,000 litres of water gratis, the police are likely to look into this angle.
The police were notified by two neighbours who resided on the floor above Aftab that all of the floors’ water bills total zero, with the exception of Aftab’s, who had an unpaid balance of Rs 300, raising suspicion.
“After the murder, Aftab used a lot of water to clean the blood stains, leading to a high water bill and the pending bill. Neighbours told the police that Aftab used to regularly go and check the building’s water tank,” the sources said.
The police have also got the information that in the rent agreement which was made, Aftab had put Shraddha’s name first and his own name at the last.
“The flat owner knew that they are not a married couple. They were given the flat through a broker. Aftab used to deposit Rs 9,000 into the account of the owner between 8 and 10 of every month,” the sources said.
The water bill is probably going to be an important element in the investigation. According to the sources, the police will probably look into this angle as well today if the judge gives them more detention.
Aftab previously admitted to authorities that the couple had argued before the murder over moving their belongings out of Mumbai.
Following a police inquiry, it was discovered that on May 18, during a fight between the couple, Aftab killed Shraddha.
According to sources with the Delhi Police, Aftab and Shraddha had been fighting for three years prior to their altercation on May 18.
“On May 18, there was a fight between the two regarding bringing household items from Mumbai. They used to fight over who would bear the household expenses and bring items. Aftab got very angry about this. The quarrel started around 8 p.m. on May 18, when Aftab strangled Shraddha to death. He kept her body in the room overnight and went to buy a knife and refrigerator the next day,” sources said.
After Delhi police began looking into a missing person report submitted by Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walker, Aftab was detained on Saturday.
In the early stages of the inquiry, Aftab tried to trick the Delhi and Mumbai police.
Aftab attempted to destroy all physical evidence of Shraddha’s murder, but he left the digital evidence, which the police used to piece together the facts of the case.
Aftab informed the Delhi Police that Shraddha had left the residence on May 22 (Shraddha was killed on May 18), following an argument, when the probe was first launched. He said that she had just brought her phone and left the rest of her possessions in his apartment.
After Delhi police began looking into a missing person report submitted by Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walker, Aftab was detained on Saturday.
In the early stages of the inquiry, Aftab tried to trick the Delhi and Mumbai police.
Aftab attempted to destroy all physical evidence of Shraddha’s murder, but he left the digital evidence, which the police used to piece together the facts of the case.
Aftab informed the Delhi Police that Shraddha had left the residence on May 22 (Shraddha was killed on May 18), following an argument, when the probe was first launched. He said that she had just brought her phone and left the rest of her possessions in his apartment.
According to the police sources, he stated that she was out of his reach and that he hadn’t spoken to her since.
But when the authorities looked into the couple’s phone call history and looked into their whereabouts, the truth came to light.
The couple’s bank statement, which revealed a transaction of Rs 54,000 from Shraddha’s net banking account app to Aftab’s account on May 26, provided the police with their biggest break through. According to the sources, the transaction exposed Aftab’s fabrications that Shraddha was unreachable after May 22 and that he had not made contact with her.
The area surrounding the Mehrauli police station turned out to be the location of the bank transfer that happened on May 26.
In addition to this, on May 31, she chatted with a buddy via Shraddha’s Instagram account. When the authorities tracked down Shraddha’s phone, they discovered that it was near the Mehrauli police station in Delhi.
When the police asked Aftab why his house was being searched for Shraddha’s phone when she had carried it with her, he was unable to respond. Aftab finally told the truth at this point.
Shraddha’s family reported her missing to the Manikpur police station after they were unable to reach her due to her phone being off, according to Maharashtra Police sources.
“More than a week before the murder (May 18), I had made up my mind to kill Shraddha. Even on that day, Shraddha and I had a fight. I was determined to kill her when she suddenly became emotional and started crying. So I held back for later,” a Delhi Police source quoted Aftab as saying in his confession.
Aftab said his partner had trust issues because of which she would often get angry, leading to frequent quarrels.
“I often had to talk to someone over the phone. However, she would doubt my commitment to the relationship every time she caught me speaking over the phone. She used to get very angry,” Aftab told Delhi Police.
“I was scared as I knew that if I dumped the body somewhere, I might be caught. I browsed shopping mode on Google all night to search for ways to dispose of the body without arousing any suspicion. I also searched the internet for what kind of chopper I would have to use to piece the body,” the Delhi Police source quoted Aftab as saying.
Aftab also admitted to like viewing crime-related web series and television programmes, and according to police, it was from these programmes that he got the idea to save the chopped-off body parts and dispose of them later. Aftab did it all by himself, the police added.
“I am fond of watching web series and serials on crime and it was while watching these shows that I came up with ideas on preserving the body parts and keeping Shraddha alive in the eyes of her family and friends. It was to preempt any doubts or suspicions about her whereabouts that I kept posting on Shradhha’s Instagram profile after the murder. I did it all by myself,” the accused told Delhi Police.
According to sources, the accused minced her liver and intestines before disposing of them. He understood how to use the knife on her flesh because he was a qualified chef.
According to sources, the liver and intestines were dumped in the Chattarpur and Mehrauli forests nearby.
The Delhi Police have discovered blood traces in the kitchen of accused Aftab Amin Poonawalla’s apartment in Delhi’s Chhatarpur as the investigation into the murder of Shraddha Walker continues. To identify whose blood the samples are, they have been sent for examination.
Top Delhi Police sources claim that the father’s DNA sample has been obtained. Ten to thirteen bones have been found in the woodland.