Aaftab admitted to murder during polygraph test: FSL

Scientists from the forensics lab in Rohini said that 28-year-old Aaftab Poonawala, during his polygraph test sessions, reportedly confessed to killing his girlfriend Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into pieces -- claims that, while inadmissible in court, investigators hope will help them collect concrete proof to build a watertight case

Scientists from the forensics lab in Rohini said that 28-year-old Aaftab Poonawala, during his polygraph test sessions, reportedly confessed to killing his girlfriend Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into pieces -- claims that, while inadmissible in court, investigators hope will help them collect concrete proof to build a watertight case.

**EDS: BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE** New Delhi: Police personnel along with accused Aftab Ameen Poonawala pose for the media, at Mehrauli Police Station, in New Delhi, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Poonawala allegedly stangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar, chopped her body into nearly 35 pieces, kept them in a fridge for three weeks and then dumped them across the city over several days, in a gruesome sensational murder case. (PTI Photo)(PTI11_14_2022_000248B) (PTI)

Poonawala is also likely to undergo a narco analysis on Thursday, said police officers aware of the matter.

During the polygraph test sessions, held between November 22 and 28, Poonawala was broadly asked about his relationship with Walkar, the abuse she underwent, where he allegedly disposed of the body parts, and about weapons used in the crime, and where he threw or hid them.

Poonawala has reportedly made such confessions to the police as well, but his statements, just like the findings of the polygraph and narco tests, are inadmissible in court. The only confession that stands the legal test is a statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Through these tests, however, police hope to verify if Poonawala has been honest about his version of the murder, and the test results are crucial for investigators as they attempt to sift through conflicting statements given by the suspect.

“He has agreed to killing her and disposing of the body. But this is what he told police earlier as well. The analysis of the test is yet to be shared with police,” said the FSL official, adding that the findings of the polygraph test will be shared along the results of a narco test, which is likely to be held on Thursday.

An FSL official said a team comprised of a psychologist, a photo expert, a doctor and assistants, along with a team from the hospital will conduct the narco test. He will first undergo a few basic medical tests, including blood pressure measurements, pulse and other standard check-ups.

“He will then be administered with sodium pentothal, also called truth serum, to put him in a sub-conscious state, after which he’ll be asked a series of questions related to Walkar’s murder, his relationship with him, and disposal of body parts and weapon among other necessary details. It’s believed that the person speaks only the truth in that state,” the official said.

Poonawala allegedly killed Walkar on May 18, chopped up her body into 35 pieces over the next two days, and disposed of the pieces across south Delhi and Gurugram. He was arrested on November 12.