Shraddha Murder: Process for Aaftab’s Polygraph Begins, Court Extends Custody

Poonawala on Tuesday told Delhi's Saket court that he hit Shraddha in the "heat of the moment."

Aaftab Poonawala has been accused of murdering his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

With four more days given to investigate, the Delhi Police on Tuesday, 22 November, took the 28-year-old accused in the Shraddha Walkar murder case - Aaftab Poonawala, to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and began the process for a polygraph test.

Poonawalla's pre-medical and scientific sessions were conducted in Rohini's FSL in preparation for the same.

What is the polygraph test: Also known as the lie detector test, a device will record physiological phenomena of the accused such as blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration, while the subject answers questions from an operator. The data collected from the test is then used to determine if the subject is telling the truth.

Why does it matter: Though the test is not considered completely reliable, it will help the Delhi Police in formulating the questions for the narco test.

These tests are being conducted as the police suspect Poonawala to be lying in order to mislead them.

Poonawala allegedly murdered Walkar in May this year, then chopped her body into pieces, and disposed them over the months that followed.

The Delhi Police will be resorting to the time-taking narco-analysis method since key evidence such as the missing murder weapon, the deceased’s remains, bloodstained clothes, and Shraddha’s phone, are yet to be found.

Police Custody Extended

Earlier in the day, Poonawala was produced before Delhi's Saket court through video conferencing.

In court, the accused said he hit Shraddha in the "heat of the moment." He also told the court that he is cooperating with the investigation, but is having difficulty in recalling the incident.

Speaking to The Quint, Aaftab's lawyer Avinash Kumar, said, "Media is running that he has confessed to the murder in court. But firstly, that is not admissible, neither is the confession that police say was given to them. He only said that he hit her (Shraddha) in the heat of the moment."

Meanwhile, Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Director Deepa Verma, said, "We are ready for the polygraph test. Whenever the police brings the accused, it will be conducted."

Delhi Police got the court's go-ahead for the same on Monday.

Evidence Collected So Far

Police teams have been conducting searches at Mehrauli forest, the flat in Chhatarpur where the crime took place, Gurgaon, Maharashtra, Dehradun, and some areas of Himachal Pradesh.

On Sunday, police teams went to Gurgaon for the third consecutive day and conducted searches around DLF Phase-3 forest area and other localities.

The accused, who continued working at a call centre in Gurgaon after the murder in May, is suspected to have discarded evidence on his way to work.

After the searches, more than 13 body parts, mostly skeletal remains, including a jaw and a femur have been recovered from several locations.

All the evidence collected so far has been sent for forensic analysis to determine whether they are human bones and if they indeed were Shraddha’s. DNA samples from her father and brother have also been collected to match the same.