Shraddha was 'energetic', didn't expect Aaftab to go to this extent: Ex-colleague

Shraddha murder case: Karan, who worked with Walker in Mumbai till March 2021, remembered her as a ‘lively and energetic person’. According to her colleague Karan, Shraddha Walkar first confided in me about the physical abuse she was experiencing from Aaftab Amin Poonawala in November 2020

Shocking details are emerging from the Delhi Police investigation into the gruesome murder case of the 27-year-old Shraddha Walker which has sent shockwaves across the country. Shraddha Walker first confided with her former colleague about the physical abuse she was experiencing from Aaftab Amin Poonawala in November 2020. According to Karan, she was about to contact the police but that things were resolved between the couple as a result of Aaftab's parents' intervention.

Walker is remembered by Karan, who coworked with her in Mumbai till March 2021, as a "lively and enthusiastic person." His conversations with Walker regarding the attack have gone viral on social media.

In an interview, he said, "Shraddha used to run around the workplace on regular days, but on certain days when she and Aaftab fought, she secluded herself so she wouldn't have to tell lies. I can't believe Aftab would go to this far."

Poonawala is accused of killing Walker, 27, on May 18 by strangling her and chopping her body into 35 pieces, which he stored in a 300-liter refrigerator at his home in Mehrauli, South Delhi, for about three weeks before disposing of them over many days after midnight.

Karan said he is willing to assist the authorities in any way possible and demands justice for Walker.

The WhatsApp chats between Karan and Walker have revealed a pattern of abuse when the victim lived with Poonawala in their hometown Vasai near Mumbai.  Similar to that, photos of Walker from 2020 that showed clear signs of injuries also appeared on social media.

According to him, "those conversations are from November 2020, and that was the first time she talked about the domestic abuse and beatings she was experiencing in her relationship with Aaftab."

She had texted him a photo showing a black mark beneath her right eye and bruising on her neck, but Karan says he no longer has that image.

Karan claimed: "She didn't tell me about it when she started working with me (domestic violence)... She didn't discuss about it until November (2020), when she was seriously injured and unable to trust anyone." He added that Walker had sent a distress message and requested assistance, after which he had phoned his Vasai-based buddy Godvin, who drove her to the police station and the hospital.

He claimed he was unaware that Walker and Poonawala had made up and had begun living together. Walker quit the company where she and Karan were employed in March 2021.

In order to look for evidence in the case, Delhi Police despatched teams to Maharashtra, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh on Friday. Meanwhile, detectives discovered some body parts in Gurugram, and a judge here ruled that the accused must take a narcotics test within five days.

(WIth PTI inputs)