Shraddha Walkar murder case: Aftab Poonawala used to give his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar cigarette burns, but she desisted from approaching police as she wanted to give him another chance, one of her friends claimed on Thursday.
After getting into a relationship with Poonawala, Walkar distanced herself from her family and all her friends, her college friend Rajat Shukla said while speaking to the media.
"In 2021, Shraddha shared with one of her close woman friends that Aaftab burnt her with a cigarette on her back, and we felt bad after hearing about this," he said.
Her friends then visited Poonawala and threatened to file a police complaint if he continued to ill-treat her, Shukla said.
"It was Shraddha who asked us to give him one more chance, and I think that cost her her life," he added.
Five knives seized from Poonawala's Chhatarpur flat
In the latest round of developments with the case, the Delhi Police has seized five knives from the Chhatarpur flat of Aftab Amin Poonawala, sources said on Thursday.
However, police said, the saw used to cut her body is yet to be recovered.
The knives have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination to ascertain if these were used in the commission of the crime, the sources in the police department said.
"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.
Meanwhile, the second session of the polygraph test on Mehrauli murder accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala was underway at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini, officials said on Thursday.
The test could not be conducted on Wednesday as the 28-year-old accused was down with fever and cold, they said.
FSL, Rohini Director Deepa Verma said, "The test is going on and if need be, the accused can be called again on Friday."
Sources at the Ambedkar hospital said Poonawala's medical test will be performed after the completion of the polygraph test and the results are expected in two days.
Narco analysis of the accused test can only be conducted after getting his medical report.
Poonawala's narco analysis is likely to be conducted on Monday, the sources said.
The delay in the completion of the polygraph test has also put off the narco test.
Poonawala allegedly strangled Walkar 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 them across the city over several days.
The murder occurred in May.
(With inputs from PTI)
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