Shraddha murder: Poonawala’s polygraph test could not be held, says cop; Ajit Pawar demands fast-track hearing
Shraddha Walkar murder case: Police recovered 5 knives used for the crime but many pieces of evidence are yet missing. Investigators are hopeful that polygraph tests may give some leads
Shraddha Walkar murder case: Shraddha Walkar murder case: Special CP (Law & Order) Delhi Police Sagar Preet Hooda on Friday evening said the polygraph test of the accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala could not be held today.
The comment is contrary to FSL Assistant director Sanjeev Gupta who told news agency ANI that the polygraph test of murder accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala was underway.
Earlier, Poonawala reached the Forensic Science Laboratory here for his next session of polygraph test, officials said.
He had undergone a marathon polygraph test of nearly eight hours on Thursday. However, officials at the facility found it difficult to record his statements as he was not well.
Poonawala was brought to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Rohini on Friday for another session of the polygraph test, also called the lie detector test, as he seems to be in better health, they said.
Poonawala allegedly strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar (27) and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhi's Mehrauli before dumping those across the city over several days past midnight.
"During the session (of polygraph test) on Thursday, Poonawala was asked details about the case, what triggered him to kill Walker, if it was a planned event or he did it in a fit of rage like he claimed in the court.
"All the sequence of event that transpired ever since they started dating and how he decided to dispose of the body in such a gruesome manner. He was also asked about the kind of weapon he used to chop her body along with various other questions related to the case that could give lead to further investigation in the case," an FSL source had said.
Police seize 5 knives from his flat
Delhi Police seized five knives from the flat of Mehrauli murder accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala, who underwent a marathon polygraph test of nearly eight hours on Thursday at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) here, officials said.
However, police said the saw allegedly used by Poonawala to cut his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar's body is yet to be recovered.
According to the sources in the police department, the recovered knives were sent to FSL for examination to ascertain if these were used in the commission of the crime. If these knives were used during the commission of the crime, will be ascertained only after the forensic examination which takes time, said a source.
Politics & Shraddha murder case
The incident has also taken a political turn with Union Home Minister Amit Shah assuring "strict punishment" to the accused in minimal possible time, while the CPI(M)has alleged that the murder and dismemberment of Walker by her Muslim boyfriend was being used for "communal propaganda".
Demand for fast-track court
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Friday said the Shraddha Walkar murder case should be heard by a fast-track court and the guilty should be given the "harshest" punishment.
Speaking to reporters here, Pawar said an inquiry should take place if any policeman is found guilty of dereliction of duty.
In May this year, Walkar, 27, was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi.
He allegedly strangled Walkar and sawed her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in South Delhi’s Mehrauli area before dumping them across the city over several days past midnight.
Walkar had in 2020 lodged a complaint with the Palghar police in Maharashtra, in which she accused Poonawala of trying to kill her and stated that she feared he would cut her into pieces.
"The harshest should be given to the guilty so that no one musters courage to commit such a crime in future," the NCP leader said.
(With PTI input)
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