Shraddha Walkar murder: Doctor claims Aaftab visited the clinic in May with injuries

On Wednesday, a city-based doctor claimed that murder suspect Aaftab Amin Poonawala (28) visited his clinic for a wound in May, around the same time he confessed to police about killing his partner Shraddha Vikas Walkar (27).

Dr. Anil Kumar, who runs a clinic in Chhattarpur Mandi, told news agencies that he recognised Poonawala after seeing his photos in newspapers after his arrest in the case.

Dr. Kumar told about Poonawala’s visit in May, “In May, he came in the morning hours. My assistant told me that one person has come with an injury. When I saw him, I found it was not a deep injury but a superficial one. The underline structure was intact. When I asked him how he sustained this injury, he replied it was while he was cutting fruit. I did not have any doubt as it was a small clean knife cut.”

Poonawala, who works at a call centre in Gurugram, was arrested by Delhi police after allegedly confessing to strangling Shraddha six months ago, chopping her body into at least 35 pieces for more than two days, storing them in a refrigerator for nearly three months, and dumping the parts piece by piece near Chhattarpur and Qutub Minar.

Police believe Aaftab went to the doctor on May 18, the day he strangled Shraddha, or on May 19, when he claimed to have started chopping the body.

“My patients in this part of the city normally speak Hindi. When I asked him about the injury, he replied in English. The man appeared to be very confident. He spoke in English and told me he was from Mumbai and came to Delhi as the city has good opportunities in the IT sector and was getting a good salary. I remember this because my wife is also from Mumbai,” he said.

When he came to the doctor for treatment, the man was aggressive, bold, and restless, according to Dr. Kumar.

“Two days ago, police brought him to my clinic and asked me if I recognised him. I confirmed this,” he said.

Aside from the doctor, police have recorded the statements of the couple’s mutual friend, Badri (identified only by his first name), who assisted them in obtaining the flat in Delhi; the owner of the shop where Poonawala purchased the fridge; and the shopkeeper from whom Poonawala purchased a hacksaw.

The couple, who are originally from Maharashtra, were living as live-in partners in Vasai (West), Maharashtra until February 2022, before travelling to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand before arriving in Delhi.