Ishika Borah alleges Aftab Poonawalla meticulously plotted Shraddha Walkar’s murder for two months

NEW DELHI: Aftab Poonawalla who killed his live-in girlfriend Shraddha Walkar in May this year had meticulously plotted her murder for more than two months and the plan to move to Delhi, also Aftab’s, was part of the larger murder conspiracy, Delhi police familiar with the investigations told this reporter. Aftab knew that Shraddha’s friends were in daily contact with her when they were in Mumbai and there was no way she could be unavailable to them for more than a week at a stretch.

Ishika Borah, a Mumbai-based model was aware that Aftab was forcing Shraddha to eat meat and beef, or non veg food, even during Hindu festivals or religious days and Aftab suspected Shraddha had told other people as well about the problems in their relationship, the fighting between them and his violent nature.

When in Mumbai, Shraddha met her friends physically at least once a week, which means alarm bells would have started ringing if Shraddha was not seen by at least one person among her group at least once a week. So Aftab planned out a ruse to get her to leave her Call Centre job in Mumbai and move to Delhi where he would have enough time to kill her and destroy the corpse as well as all the evidence, weapons and other telltale signs that could be used against him.

Aftab researched on criminal law, trial, bail and punishment including that of the death penalty. He read up on various murder cases and their trials as well as whatever information he could find online. Then he watched several web series and Tv shows relating to murder, crime and police investigation of murder cases.

Aftab prepared himself and even rehearsed the case. He had understood that unless the body or skeleton of the victim, the murder weapon and a motive for the murder were found, he would always have the benefit of doubt during the trial in court. So he tried to get as much time as possible to completely destroy the body and the murder weapon. However, what Aftab Poonawalla failed to take into account was digital footprints, the digital trail, money trail and digital evidence that eventually did him in.