Shraddha Walkar murder: Poonawala pleads not guilty, trial to begin on June 1

A Delhi court on Tuesday framed murder and disappearance of evidence charges against Aftab Poonawala

Aftab Poonawala, who is accused of murdering his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into pieces, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty and claimed trial as a Delhi court framed murder and disappearance of evidence charges against him. The trial in the case will begin on June 1.

Aftab Poonawala being produced in court. (ANI)

The charges under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) were read out to Poonawala as he was physically produced before additional sessions judge Manisha Khurrana Kakkar.

Special public prosecutor Amit Prasad in March submitted an audio/video recording in which Walkar is purportedly heard telling her psychologist that Poonawala would “hunt me, find me and kill me” while pointing towards a violent history of their relationship.

The Delhi Police submitted that Poonawala used his mobile phones and operated his bank accounts to create a facade after killing Walkar.

Advocate Akshay Bhandari, who appeared for Poonawala, submitted on March 31 the charge of tampering with evidence and shielding the accused cannot be jointly framed with the murder charge.

In January, the Delhi Police filed a 6629-page charge sheet detailing how Poonawala murdered Walkar by strangling her and dismembering her body.

It said Poonawala kept the sawed body parts in a fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhi’s Mehrauli. He then allegedly scattered the remains across Delhi, some of which have since been recovered.