Aaftab Amin Poonawala, arrested in connection with the murder of his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, will be produced in a Delhi court in Saket as his police custody ended on Saturday. The Delhi Police is likely to seek an extension as the investigation is not yet over.
Poonawala, 28, is accused of murdering Walkar, 27, in their Chhattarpur Pahadi flat on May 18 and dismembering her body into at least 35 pieces. He remained largely evasive when answering questions from investigators during a polygraph test Thursday, forensic experts with knowledge of the matter said Friday.
Arrested on November 12, Poonawala was taken to Delhi’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini on Thursday evening for a polygraph test. Poonawala underwent a nearly eight-hour marathon polygraph test. However, officials at the facility had difficulty recording his statements because he was unwell.
An FSL official said on condition of anonymity, “Poonawala remained confident and his body language was normal during the session. He seemed like an intelligent person with a sharp brain. He answered common and trivial questions. But he remained elusive or silent when critical questions related to the murder case were asked. He seemed to be very aware of the polygraph test procedure.” FSL Deputy Director Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, who heads the crime scene and photo management department, said police brought Poonawala to the lab around 4 pm and he underwent a polygraph. , which lasted about two and a half hours.Around 7:00 p.m., the panel of psychologists concluded the test and allowed Poonawal to leave.
“Experts are now analyzing the data to see if they have achieved the desired results. In case they find that some data could not be analyzed and it raises doubts, the experts can call Poonawala again. The experts will give their nod for the narco analysis test after they are satisfied with the polygraph test results,” Gupta said, adding that the FSL would remain open on Saturday and Sunday to conduct the narco test.
Meanwhile, the incident also took a political turn with Union Home Minister Amit Shah ensuring “severe punishment” to the accused in the shortest possible time, while the CPI(M) alleged that the murder and dismemberment of Walker by her Muslim friend was for “communal propaganda”.
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