Aaftab Poonawala says he would get drunk, cry while butchering Shraddha Walkar’s body

Food blogger Aaftab Amin Poonawala, 28, strangled his 26-year-old live-in partner, Shraddha Walkar to death before cutting her up into 35 pieces and storing them in the fridge. 

The incident took place at their rented apartment in Delhi’s Mehrauli on May 18, after the couple had a heated argument over an alleged affair that Poonawala has been having.

Poonavala was a trained chef and was adept at cutting meat. After being arrested by the cops, he admitted to the macabre murder, saying that he used a meat cleaver on the body after researching online on how to dispose of a body. His favorite show, Dexter, which is about a forensic pathologist who moonlights as a serial killer, helped him in his diabolical endeavor. 

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At 2 am every night following the murder, Aaftab would go out and feed parts of the body to stray animals hoping to destroy evidence. He also bought a fridge to store the body after hacking it into pieces. He may have used formaldehyde to preserve the pieces, said the police. He cleaned the refrigerator and room with chemicals to wipe out any stench.

The accused said that he would often be intoxicated while getting rid of the body. He would also tie a mask or a cloth around his nose to avoid the stench. At times he would also break down thinking of the situation he had landed himself into. But the fear of getting caught kept him going. 

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After stacking them in the fridge, Poonawala used perfume bottles, deodorants, and incense sticks to cover up the smell. Then, like clockwork, he retrieved pieces of the body every night, stuffed them in a bag, and dumped them in drains or forested areas. He should never throw more than one bag in the same location. 

The cops are still looking for the body parts and have found only about 14 of the 35 pieces which will be examined by forensic officials and have been sent for a DNA match.