Murder of Shraddha Walkar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shraddha Walkar
Born1995
Maharashtra, India
DiedMay 18, 2022(2022-05-18) (aged 26–27)
Delhi, India
Cause of deathStrangulation in domestic violence
OccupationCall center employee

Shraddha Walkar was a 27-year-old Indian woman who was murdered by her 28-year-old boyfriend and live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala in Delhi on 18 May 2022.[1] Walkar's father accused Poonawala of waging what he called love jihad.[2]

Incident[edit]

The case only came to light nearly six months after the murder, when Shraddha's father lodged a missing persons complaint after learning from Shraddha's friends that they were unable to contact her for over two-and-a-half months.[3] On 18 May 2022, 28-year-old Aaftab Poonawala strangled his live-in partner Shraddha over an argument and then proceeded to dismember her body into 35 pieces, allegedly charring her face to hide her identity.[4][3] A 300-litre fridge was used to store her body parts,[5][6] which were individually disposed in the Chhatarpur forest over the next 18 days, at around 2 AM every night to avoid suspicion.[7][8]

Poonawala was arrested by the Delhi Police on 12 November 2022.[9] Shraddha's father has demanded the death penalty for Aaftab.[10]

Shraddha Walkar[edit]

Shraddha Walkar lived with her family until 2018, which consisted of her mother and brother in Vasai, Palghar District, Maharashtra. She studied in a convent school in Vasai and took admission in a BMM course in Viva Institute of Technology, Virar. She later dropped out from the course. Her father, Vikas Walkar, lived separately and operated an electronics service business. While working at a call centre of an MNC in Malad, Shraddha met Aaftab Amin Poonawala via the Bumble app. Aaftab is also resident of Vasai. He went to L.S. Raheja College for BMM studies. He, coincidentally, also worked at the same call centre. In 2019, she moved out to live with him, against her family's wishes, who opposed the interfaith relationship and the idea of living-in with someone "she barely knew".[11]

Friends and family of Shraddha have further accused Poonawala of physically abusing Walkar regularly prior to the murder.[12] They were said to frequently argue over financial issues, and they were arguing when the murder took place.[13]

Accused[edit]

Aaftab Poonawala worked at the same MNC call center as Shraddha Walkar. He confessed to the murder after the police discovered discrepancies in his statements and recovered evidence of the murder. He was then taken to the forest to identify Shraddha's remains.[14] [15][16][17] The police brought a dog squad to discover the body parts. However, many pieces, including the head, could not be found. Thirteen decomposed parts of her body were found, of which mostly pieces of bones remained. Upon a DNA match, it was confirmed that the body parts indeed belonged to Shraddha.[18]

Aaftab Amin Poonawalla was charged by Delhi police for killing Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body in May 2022. The chargesheet was based on evidence and witness testimony. Police allege he strangled Shraddha and disposed of remains. Aaftab was arrested after investigation found last location in Delhi.[19] He is currently lodged in Tihar Jail cell number 4 in West Delhi, where he is constantly surveilled.[18][20]

On 29 November 2022, when Aaftab was being taken back to jail from the Forensic Science Laboratory of West Delhi, the police van was attacked by sword-wielding members of Hindu Sena. The organisation distanced itself from the incident, saying what the activists did was out of their personal motive, and that the organisation shall never support any act that is against the Constitution of India.[20]

Reactions[edit]

Kaushal Kishore, the Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affair, said that couples who wish to live together must register in court or should have proper registration. He also added that women should stay away from such live-in relationships.[21][22]

The case was cited by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad as an example of love jihad, who demanded that the central government make laws to stop such incidents from happening, adding that they have recorded 420 incidents of love jihad in the past ten years from New Delhi alone. The group also decided to launch a campaign from 21 to 31 December 2022 to raise awareness about love jihad.[23]

An interfaith wedding reception that had to take place on 20 November 2022 in Vasai, the town Aaftab and Shraddha belonged to, had to be cancelled because of local Hindu and Muslim organisations contacting the owner of the marriage hall and urging him to cancel the event to ensure peace in the area.[24] The incident was a result of the editor-in-chief of Sudharshan News Suresh Chavanke doxing the couple's wedding invitation card on Twitter. While initially the couple had no idea their wedding invitation card had gone viral on social media, they decided to call off the reception following the political discourse it had taken.[25]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Delhi Murder: Mumbai youth Aaftab threw body parts of Shraddha everyday in Chhatarpur forest hoping animals would eat them". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ Team, DNA Web (15 November 2022). "Shraddha Walker murder: Who is Aftaab Poonawala, Instagram celebrity with 28,000 followers and murder accused?". DNA India. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Man Killed Partner In Delhi, Dumped Body Pieces At 2 am For 18 Days: Cops". NDTV.com. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Shraddha murder case: Charred her face to hide identity, confesses Aftab". The Economic Times. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Delhi Murder: Aftab used to SLAP the severed head of Shraddha kept in fridge, Unlimited CRUELTY inside Hate Story 2022". Zee News. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Woman's murder by live-in partner: How horror unfolded in a first-floor flat, under nose of neighbours". The Indian Express. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Delhi Murder: Mumbai youth Aaftab threw body parts of Shraddha everyday in Chhatarpur forest hoping animals would eat them". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Shraddha Walkar murder: Police widen search, focus on skulls found across Delhi". The Indian Express. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Shraddha Walker Murder Case LIVE Updates: Aaftab taken to jungle by Delhi police where he disposed body parts". DNA India. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  10. ^ "'We demand death penalty': Father of woman murdered by live-in partner in Delhi". Hindustan Times. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Shraddha murder case: Forget I am your daughter, she had said & left home | Mumbai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 November 2022. When the family opposed Shraddha's decision, "she told us that she was 25 years old and had the right to take decisions pertaining to her life", the father said. Then saying she was no longer their daughter, the girl left the house.
  12. ^ "Delhi Fridge Murder: Victim Was Hospitalised In 2020 For "Internal Injuries"". NDTV.com. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Shraddha murder case: Forget I am your daughter, she had said & left home | Mumbai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 November 2022. "I told her to leave Aaftab and stay back at home but she returned after Aaftab apologised," said Walkar. Later, Shraddha's friends, Shivani Mahatre alsosaid he often thrashed her.
  14. ^ "'Shraddha murder case: This is how Delhi Police caught Aaftab Poonawalla's lie". IndiaTimes. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Shraddha Walker case.", Sourcebook Criminal Law, Routledge-Cavendish, pp. 124–127, 9 August 1996, doi:10.4324/9781843143093-68, ISBN 978-1-84314-309-3, retrieved 30 November 2022
  16. ^ Ray, Anshu (29 November 2022). "'No regret even if hanged, will get hoors in Jannat,' says Aftab during polygraph test, report says - North East Business Mirror". Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Shraddha Murder Case: फांसी भी मिली तो अफसोस नहीं, जन्नत में मिलेगी हूर; आफताब ने दिया चौंकाने वाला बयान". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Shraddha Walkar case: Aftab Poonawala charged with murder, disappearance of evidence". Hindustan Times. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  19. ^ "chargesheet of witnesses". The Times of India.
  20. ^ a b "On Camera, Men With Swords Attack Police Van Carrying Aaftab Poonawala". NDTV.com. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Shraddha Walkar Murder: Now, Union Minister Blames Live-In Relationships For Rising Crimes". MSN.com. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  22. ^ "श्रद्धा मर्डर केस : आफताब ने 2020 में भी हत्या का प्रयास किया था। - JADOLYA" (in Hindi). Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Citing Shraddha murder case, VHP demands nationwide 'anti love jihad' law". India Today. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Shraddha Walkar case: Interfaith couple's wedding reception cancelled in Vasai". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  25. ^ Qureshi, Arshi (18 November 2022). "Chavhanke Links Interfaith Wedding Reception to Shraddha Murder, Event Cancelled". TheQuint. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Shraddha_Walkar&oldid=1225478441"