Mehrauli murder case: Aftab Poonawala's police custody extended for five more days
Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Nov, 2022 12:51 PM
New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) A Delhi court on Thursday extended, by five more days, the police custody to Aftab Ameen Poonawalla, who has been arrested for allegedly murdering his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar and chopping her body into 35 pieces.
Poonawalla was produced virtually before the Saket district court after the court took note of the threats to his life and security reasons.
A large group of lawyers protested outside a courtroom demanding the death penalty for the accused.
On Wednesday, the court approved a narco test of Poonawalla on Delhi Police's submission that he was not cooperating in the investigation.
A day earlier, the police had also taken him to the house in south Delhi's Chhattarpur, which he shared with Walkar, to recreate the crime. Sources have said that when Poonawalla was first called for questioning, he told the investigators that she had left the house on May 22.
"However, her belongings were at the house while Poonwalla told police that she had only taken her phone. He also said that they did not speak to each other since she left," a source said.
The investigators doubted his version and on strong questioning and through digital evidences, including the use of her Instagram account, which showed the location of the Mehrauli area, Poonawalla finally confessed to killing the victim and then chopping her body into 35 pieces and was arrested on November 12.
The police are corroborating the shocking statements issued by several people against the accused seer's habit of sexually exploiting minors in the Chitradurga Murugha mutt for over 10 years. Sharananda Swamiji, who was formerly with the Murugha mutt, has stated that there were more victims.
Besides Capt Amarinder Singh, others who joined the BJP included former Deputy Speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, former MPs Amrik Singh Aliwal, and Kewal Singh, former MLAs Prem Mittal, Harchand Kaur, Harjinder Thekedar, Balbir Rani Sodhi, former Punjab Mahila Congress President, Raninder Singh, Beeba Jaya Inder Kaur, Nirvan Singh, Kamaljit Saino and Farzana Alam, who was represented by her daughter.
According to media reports, Mann, who was on a eigh-day trip to Germany till September 18, delayed his departure as he was reportedly in 'an inebriated state'. However, AAP has strongly denied the charge, saying Mann was not deplaned at the Frankfurt airport. The party termed it as false and frivolous propaganda by political rivals.
The official added that a case was registered against Shailendra Sharma, the Superintendent and Tax Clerk Raman Agarwal on a complaint alleging that they were demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 which was reduced to Rs 25,000 from the complainant for getting his mutation file processed. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.
Both -- Mandeep, alias Manna Tuffan, and Manpreet, alias Mani Rayia -- were allegedly involved in the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia. Kandowalia, who was facing dozens of cases of murder and attempt to murder, was gunned down outside a private hospital in Amritsar in August last year. The Bhagwanpuria group had taken the responsibility for the murder.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat. The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.
