Murder of Shraddha Walkar

Shraddha Walkar was a 27-year-old Indian woman who was murdered by her 28-year-old boyfriend and live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala in Delhi on 18 May 2022.

Quotes

• Campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in poll-bound Gujarat, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma referred to Shraddha murder case in south Delhi’s Mehrauli and said, “Somebody from the police asked Aaftab Poonawala, ‘why do you date only Hindu women?’ To this, he said Hindus are emotional.” Addressing an election rally in Gujarat’s Dhansura, Sarma said that the country needs a strict law against Love Jihad. “A boy named Aaftab Poonawala from Mumbai convinced Shraddha Walkar to come to Delhi, assuring her to get married. However, he didn’t get married and instead killed her and chopped her body into 35 pieces. He kept her mutilated body inside a fridge and in the meantime, he invited other women to his flat for dates,” the Assam chief minister said. “When the police asked him, ‘why do you bring only Hindu women?’ Aaftab said Hindus are emotional. This is not just the story of Aaftab, there are several similar Aaftab-Shraddha incidents in the country. There is a strong need for a stringent law against Love Jihad,” Sarma said. Aaftab murdered his live-in partner Shraddha on 18 May, 2022. During his confession, the 28-year-old trained chef said, "More than a week before the murder, I had made up my mind to kill Shraddha. Even on that day, Shraddha and I had a fight. I was determined to kill her when she suddenly became emotional and started crying. So I held back for later."
  • November 23, 2022 'Aaftab dated Hindu women since they are emotional': Shraddha's 'butcher' told police, claims Assam CM Himanta Sarma

• The Delhi police in its 6,629-page chargesheet, revealed how Aaftab gruesomely killed his live-in partner Shraddha. Poonawala told the police that he and Shraddha Walkar had been quarrelling for a while and he was determined to get her out of the way. "I started quarrelling with her and I was determined to get her out of my way for once to get rid of her habit of abusing forever, I caught and threw her on the floor. I then sat on her chest to kill her and strangled her tightly with both her hands till she died."He added, "I hid her dead body in the bathroom and then I planned to dispose of the dead body by cutting it into small pieces and putting it in a big briefcase and then throwing it somewhere."
  • 'Love Jihad Cases Over 1 Lakh In Maha': Minister Vows Won't Let Another Shraddha Happen

• “Some viewers have commented on social media about a recent episode of “Crime Patrol” on SET resembling a recent incident reported in the media. We wish to clarify that while the episode is a work of fiction, it is based on certain events that occurred in 2011 and not connected to any recent case.” They further wrote, “We take every care to ensure our content meets broadcasting standards laid down by the regulatory bodies. However, in this case, respecting the sentiments expressed by our viewers, we have discontinued the airing of the episode. If the telecast has hurt the sentiments of any of our viewers, we wish to express our sincere regrets.”
  • Following the outrage, Sony LIV, on January 2 2023, deleted the episode and issued a statement on Twitter in defence of the episode after it was deleted, asserting that the episode was unrelated to the Shraddha Walkar case
  • Sony TV issues statement over controversial Crime Patrol episode, says it was ‘work of fiction’ January 3, 2023