'She could have been saved': Fadnavis on Shraddha Walkar

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that an investigation will be initiated into why "no action" was taken by the police on the complaint letter of Shhradha Walkar in 2020.

The Deputy Chief Minister further said that she could have been saved had action been taken on time.

The victim Shhradha Walkar in the year 2020, had made a complaint at the Tulinj Police Station in Maharashtra's Palghar, in which she stated that Aaftab Poonawala, had beaten her and threatened to kill her.

"I saw the letter (Shraddha's complaint to Police in 2020) and it has very serious allegations. We will have to investigate why was no action taken. I don't want to accuse anyone of anything but if action is not taken on such a letter, such incidents happen," said Fadnavis.

"It will be investigated. Maybe she could have been saved had action been taken," he added.

However, the Maharashtra Police said that based on a complaint by Shraddha Walkar in 2020, they had begun an investigation but the case was closed after she gave a written statement to withdraw the case.

DCP of Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar Commissionerate, Suhas Bavache said that Shraddha in her written statement had stated that "the dispute between herself and Aaftab Poonawala was resolved."

"Whatever necessary action had to be taken in that matter was done by police at that time. The application that was given by the complainant was also investigated. After the investigation, the complainant herself gave a written statement that there is no dispute. Her friend's parents also cajoled her to resolve the dispute. She gave the written statement and after that the case was closed," said Bawche.

In the complaint letter, Shraddha said that she "did not have the guts to go to the police" because Aaftab had threatened to kill her. However, she added that Aaftab tried to kill her on the day she was writing the letter, and he also threatened to cut her into pieces and throw her away.

"It's been six months he has been hitting me," the letter read.

The letter further claimed that Aaftab's parents were aware that he beat her up and that he attempted to kill her.

"I lived with him till date as we were supposed to get married anytime soon and had the blessings of his family. Henceforth, I am not willing to live with him. So any kind of physical damage should be considered coming from him as he has been blackmailing me to kill me or hurt me whenever he sees me anywhere," Shraddha's complaint alleged.

Shraddha was strangled to death by her live-in partner Aaftab and her body was chopped into pieces. Aaftab allegedly preserved the chopped body parts in a refrigerator before dumping them in the forests of south Delhi's Chhatarpur.

Delhi Police had previously said Aaftab, following his arrest in the case, confessed to killing his live-in partner Shraddha in their apartment in West Delhi's Chhatarpur and to chopping her body into 35 pieces.

Aaftab and Shraddha met on a dating site and moved in together to a rented accommodation in Chhatarpur as the relationship grew.

On receipt of the complaint from Shraddha's father, Delhi Police registered an FIR on November 10.

Subsequent interrogation of the accused revealed that Aaftab killed Shraddha on May 18 after which he started researching ways to dispose of the body. He also borrowed ideas on disposal from popular crime shows on his streaming devices, Delhi Police revealed.

The accused also told police that he also read up on human anatomy before chopping his girlfriend's body.

Police said after browsing on the internet on ways to remove all traces of his crime, Aaftab mopped blood stains from the floor of the couple's Chhatarpur apartment with some chemicals and also disposed of all stained clothes.

He then shifted the body to the bathroom and bought a refrigerator where he hoarded the chopped body parts, police further informed.