NEW DELHI: Delhi police have arrested a man for allegedly killing his live-in partner, chopping her body into 35 pieces, and dumping them at various locations in Delhi. The accused was sent to 5-day police custody by a local court on Monday.
The accused, identified as Aftab Ameen Poonawalla, had strangled 26 year-old Shradha on May 18. According to police, Poonawalla chopped her body into 35 pieces and bought a new fridge to store them and threw them at various locations over a period of 18 days. To avoid any suspicion, he used to leave the house with a body part in a polybag at 2am.
The deceased, Shradha, and Poonawalla were staying in a rented flat in south Delhi's Mehrauli area. Shradha worked with a call centre for a multinational company in Mumbai where she met Poonawalla. The two started dating and moved in together. However, her family did not approve of their relationship following which the couple eloped and came to Delhi.
The matter came to light when the victim stopped talking to her parents. Her family also checked her social media accounts and found no updates during this period.
This raised suspicion, after which her father, Vikas - a resident of Palghar (Maharashtra), came to Delhi to check on his daughter. When he reached her flat, it was locked.
Following this, he approached the police and lodged a missing person complaint. He also told the police about his daughter's relationship with the accused, Aftab, and suspected his involvement in his daughter's absence.
"They had pvt jobs in Mumbai & the man had started working here. They got together via dating app, were in a live-in relationship in Mumbai & continued here," said ADCP south Delhi Ankit Chauhan.
According to police, the accused Poonawalla was kept on surveillance following a complaint by the deceased's father. The accused was held from his residence in Delhi.
A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of IPC including murder, and the police were further looking into it.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.