Aaftab cooperating with Delhi police, will likely be taken for site visit for evidence collection, says lawyer
New Delhi, November 22
A court here on Tuesday extended the police custody of Aaftab Poonawala, who allegedly strangled his live-in partner and cut her body into 35 pieces before disposing it of, by four days, while another judge allowed police to go ahead with a polygraph test to unravel the murder.
“In view of the reasons stated by investigating officer, it is the considered opinion of this court that further remand of the accused be authorised in police custody for the purpose of ensuring conclusion of investigation in the matter. Accordingly, remand of accused is hereby authorized in police custody for further period of four days till November 26,” Metropolitan Magistrate Aviral Shukla said.
However, Aaftab’s court-appointed lawyer Avinash Kumar told NDTV that Aaftab had not confessed to murdering his partner Shraddha Walkar in court. “He is cooperating with the Delhi Police but he has not confessed in court. He has not confessed that he murdered Shraddha,” lawyer Avinash Kumar said. Aaftab “wants to tell everything to Delhi Police,” said the lawyer.
Kumar also said that Poonawala expressed difficulty in exactly identifying the places where he had allegedly thrown the body parts as he was not familiar with the city. He said police will probably take the accused for site visit for evidence collection.
“Aftab said he can’t recall everything at once but will inform as he does. He used a single word for victim and said he was provoked. Police will probably take him for site visit for evidence collection. Narco test will happen soon,” said advocate Kumar.
“Aftab has requested to meet his family to which the court has granted permission. The hearing was done today morning around 10 am,” the lawyer added.
A Delhi Police official earlier said that police “sought an extension of his custody since the investigation is still under way.
“Based on our application, we have got four more days of police custody of the accused which will help in collecting more evidence,” the official said. Police also got permission to conduct a polygraph test on Poonawala.
A polygraph test is a non-invasive technique in which no medicine is used. The subject is attached to a machine and questions are asked to him/her about the matter related to any case or incident. The variation in the graph when the subject answers the questions are mapped to draw a conclusion.
Poonawala, 28, allegedly strangled his live-in partner Walkar and sawed her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in South Delhi’s Mehrauli. He later disposed of the body parts across the city over several days. (Wth ANI Inputs)
