(Trigger Warning: Descriptions of assault. Reader discretion advised.)
A Delhi Police team, which is currently in Maharashtra’s Vasai in connection to the case, recorded the statement of Shraddha Walkar’s former manager Karan Behri, on Sunday, 20 November.
Recently, purported WhatsApp chats between Shraddha Walkar and some of her acquaintances from 2020, had surfaced, and revealed that she was repeatedly abused by her partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala.
Reports claimed that the Delhi Police will use these WhatsApp chats as evidence in their case.
Poonawala allegedly murdered Shraddha in May this year and then chopped her body into pieces and disposed of the parts at various locations in Delhi.
"November 2020 was the first time I came to know of the domestic abuse. She used to call in sick often before that," Behri told NDTV.
"In the chat over WhatsApp, I told her to send me a photo. I was very shattered and heartbroken to see how someone could manhandle her so badly. She had bruises under her right eye... also on her neck," he further told NDTV.
Moreover, the report by ANI added that the Delhi Police also recorded the statement of Shraddha's best friend Shivani.
Till now, the police has recorded the statements of six people in connection to the case, which includes her close friend Laxman Nadar and Rahul Godwin, who owned flat where Shraddha and Aftab lived before they moved to Delhi.
'Because Of All the Beating...'
In a WhatsApp chat from 24 November 2020, accessed by The Quint, Shraddha purportedly is seen telling an acquaintance that she has low blood pressure, and was hurting.
“Won’t be able to make it because of all the beating," read the message that she purportedly sent. The Quint has not been able to independently verify whether the messages were sent from Shraddha's phone.
“So everything got sorted after going to his parents' house. He is moving out today. And I won’t be able to make it today because from all the beating yesterday I guess my bp is low and my body hurts. Energy nahi bachi he bed se uthne ki. Also I need to make sure he moves out today,” read her message.Shraddha Walkar's purported message to accquaintance
In another chat, an acquaintance of Shraddha was seen asking: “Jesus what happened to your nose love? Fell or something?” To this, Shraddha replied that she "fractured it during a fall."
“It’s gonna take some time. I need to do some more rounds to the police station in a while now so I can’t come today,” Shraddha was stating in another message.
Since news of the brutal murder broke out, friends of Shraddha have maintained that Aaftab was known to abuse her several times in the past – and she had considered leaving him.
Medical records also show that Shraddha was hospitalised in 2020 with 'internal injuries', medical documents show.
Meanwhile, a Delhi Court has granted permission to the Delhi Police to conduct a narco analysis on the accused.
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