During the trial at Delhis Saket court, Shreejay Walkar, the brother of Shraddha Walkar, provided his testimony against Aaftab Poonawala, who is facing charges. The prosecution recorded statements from witnesses in the case on Thursday. Shreejay informed the court that two weeks after Shraddha left home, she confided in him about the frequent fights she was having with Aaftab, which included both verbal and physical altercations. Shraddha revealed that Aaftab would occasionally subject her to physical violence.Shreejay informed their mother about the situation, expressing his concerns and urging Shraddha to end the relationship and return home. He shared, “We tried once again to reason with her, advising her to reconsider her involvement in this relationship and come back home.” Shreejay revealed that Shraddha mentioned that after each fight, Aaftab would apologise, and she would accept the apology and continue living with him.image source: twitterHe further informed the court that Shraddha would frequently visit their home during their mothers illness. Unfortunately, their mother passed away in January of the previous year.Shreejay stated, “Shraddha stayed with Aaftab for a while, but the heated arguments persisted. We were deeply unhappy about her being involved in such a relationship. As we noticed her complete influence by Aaftab, our interactions with each other significantly decreased.”Shreejay further mentioned that he completely lost contact with his sister after mid-2021. He stated, “I havent seen my sister since February 2020. She remained in touch with her classmates Shivani Mhatre and Lakshmanan Nadar. However, in mid-2021, I lost contact with her. Whenever I tried calling, her phone was either switched off or unreachable.”On Thursday, the statements of two additional witnesses were recorded, including an auto driver and a neighbour from Chhatarpur, who were related to Shraddha and Aaftabs case. The next hearing for the matter is scheduled for July.image source: twitterPoonwala is accused of strangling his live-in partner Shraddha in November of the previous year. He then dismembered her body into 35 pieces and stored them in a 300-litre refrigerator before disposing of them at different locations in the city over a span of several days.In January, the Delhi Police presented a comprehensive chargesheet of 6,629 pages in the case. The charge sheet was filed 75 days after the initiation of the police investigation.Poonwala and Shraddha, originally from Mumbai, were in a romantic relationship and had relocated to Delhi in May 2022. The tragic incident came to public attention when a friend of Shraddha contacted her father, expressing concern about not hearing from her for almost two months. After unsuccessful attempts to reach his daughter, Shraddhas father reported the matter to the Mumbai Police in October. The subsequent investigation by the Mumbai Police led them to the rented room of the couple located in Chattarpur Pahari, South Delhi.The crucial breakthrough in the case occurred when 13 decomposed body parts, primarily consisting of bone fragments, were recovered based on Poonawalas guidance. Through DNA testing, it was established that the remains belonged to Shraddha, confirming her murder. Poonawala was subsequently arrested in November of the previous year and is presently incarcerated in Delhis Tihar jail.
