Delhi Fridge Murder: “Surprisingly High Water Bill” Among Clues For Cops

Police are looking into how Aftab Poonawala, who is accused of killing and dismembering his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar in Mehrauli, Delhi, received a water bill despite receiving 20,000 litres of water for free each month. According to reports, police are reportedly exploring the following possibilities in relation to the INR 300 outstanding bill: a constantly running faucet to cover up any chopping noises; hot water to cleanse the body of any blood; and chemical water mixture to eliminate stains from the apartment.

The majority of homes in the colony have “zero” water bills because 20,000 litres, or around 35 buckets per day, is more than enough for an average family. The couple had moved into the rented flat on May 14, but Aftab Poonawala was living alone since May 18, the day he allegedly killed Shraddha Walkar, the probe says.

“Such a high water bill is quite surprising,” said flat owner Rohan Kumar’s father, Rajendra Kumar, who said the rent was ₹ 9,000 a month. Sources said the rent agreement has names of both: Shraddha’s first, then Aftab’s. “He used the transfer the rent online between the 8th and 10th of every month,” Rajendra Kumar said, “That’s why I never needed to go to the flat.”Before relocating to Delhi, the two call centre workers shared a home in Vasai, Maharashtra, a town close to Mumbai.

Aftab Poonawala was detained earlier this month after her parents, who had not spoken to her since last year due to their displeasure with her interfaith (Hindu-Muslim) relationship, went to the police. When Shraddha’s friends informed him that they hadn’t heard from her in more than two months, he reported her as “missing” and later opened a kidnapping case. Then, Delhi and Maharashtra police worked together to solve the crime.

Investigators claimed that after strangling her during a dispute over household costs and infidelity, he chopped up her body with a knife, placed the pieces in a new refrigerator he purchased, and dumped them over a period of 18 days in a nearby river. To bolster the case before the trial, police have requested authorization to administer a lie-detector test to Aftab. It would take 15 days for the results of DNA tests to determine whether some body parts discovered in the woodland belong to Shraddha.

Police claim they currently have the following pieces of the puzzle: Aftab’s confession, which he has the right to retract in court; proof that he purchased a knife and refrigerator on May 19, the day after the murder; bones discovered in the jungle; blood discovered in the kitchen; bank information proving Aftab took $54,000 from Shraddha’s account; call logs and location data from phones; Shraddha’s bag from the flat; and statements from her father and friends.

But no one has yet discovered the saw or knife that was used to dismember the body. So far, the majority of her body is absent. Aftab and Shraddha’s murderous day attire has also not been discovered. The whereabouts of Shraddha’s cellphone is unknown.

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