“Was Shattered Seeing Her Bruises…”: Shraddha Walkar’s Former Co-Worker

Mumbai/New Delhi:

The co-worker whom Shraddha Walkar informed about an assault by boyfriend Aftab Poonawala two years in the past, Karan, mentioned as we speak that he was beneath the impression that that they had damaged up after intervention by the police and Aftab’s dad and mom. Karan mentioned he had tried to assist her then and stored checking on her for a number of weeks, however now noticed within the information that Aftab allegedly murdered Shraddha in Might this 12 months.

“November 2020 was the primary time I got here to know of the home abuse. She used to name in sick typically earlier than that,” mentioned Karan, her workforce supervisor when she labored at a name centre close to her hometown Vasai in Mumbai.

“Within the chat over WhatsApp, I informed her to ship me a photograph. I used to be very shattered and heartbroken to see how somebody may manhandle her so badly. She had bruises beneath her proper eye… additionally on her neck,” he informed NDTV. “Later a buddy whom I contacted to assist her additionally informed me she had burn marks on her abdomen.”

Screenshots of their chat present he supplied to assist her – he mentioned she might be together with his mom and sister for fast security – aside from serving to her method the cops. He mentioned he knew of Shraddha and Aftab them as being married as she referred to him as her husband.

“After she went to the police, she gave a written grievance. However within the meantime, she spoke to Aftab and he informed her he would do one thing to himself (if she left). She additionally went to his dad and mom’ place they usually informed her he would transfer out of the home (that he and Shraddha had rented collectively) and that he’ll minimize off all ties and by no means harass her. Solely after that she considered not submitting a police grievance,” Karan mentioned.

“I used to be following up each week or two weeks to verify she was protected, to verify she was not going by means of the identical factor once more. We have been beneath the impression that he was now not together with her,” he added.

“I do not know the way they received again collectively once more later. I didn’t know she had moved to Delhi. When all this got here within the information, I received to know,” he added.

Shraddha, 26, and Aftab, 28, each name centre staff, had moved to Delhi in Might and 4 days later, following one more argument over bills and infidelity, he strangled her to loss of life, later chopping up the physique into 35 items that he stored in a fridge and disposed of in a jungle over 18 days, police have mentioned.

The crime was revealed over the previous month as her father – who hadn’t spoken to her since Might 2021 as he did not approve of her inter-faith (Hindu-Muslim) relationship with Aftab – went to the police as her buddies alerted him that she’d been out of contact with them, too, for months.

When she left the job in March 2021, she informed Karan she had received a brand new job at a content material writing firm that may give her journey alternatives. “I used to be very pleased for her that she had on a regular basis on the planet to make her profession. She was very younger, simply 23 or 24.”

A month earlier than the job change, she had informed a physician about her melancholy and the way her boyfriend Aftab was violent over minor points. She informed him she feared he would possibly hurt her, himself or each.

Karan mentioned he has not but received a name from the police however “I will likely be prepared to assist in the event that they contact me”.

“I simply need to inform all the ladies dwelling alone – and it is not about faith, be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian, any race or caste – that do not isolate your self; all the time hold contact with family and friends,” he mentioned. “There’s all the time somebody who will help you. It is higher to get out of an abusive relationship.”

Aftab was, on November 17, despatched to 5 extra days of police custody by a Delhi court docket as police mentioned key proof – reminiscent of identifiable physique components, the knife he used, their garments from the day of the homicide, and Shraddha’s telephone – must be discovered.

Police have additionally received permission to conduct narco-analysis, a chemical-based lie-detection check, which can lead the police to materials proof and corroborate his alleged confession.