Shraddha Walkar murder case: Autopsy report reveals use of 'saw-like object' to chop body, says Delhi Police

New Delhi: The autopsy report of the bones of Shraddha Walkar, who was allegedly killed by her live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawalla, has revealed that her body was chopped into 35 pieces with a saw-like object, Delhi Police said on Saturday. On January 4, the police said samples of hair and bones recovered by them from a forest area in South Delhi`s Mehrauli matched with Shraddha`s.

A mitochondrial DNA report of the samples found in the forest area of Mehrauli and sent for testing at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting Diagnostic (CDFD) in Hyderabad matched with that of the victim`s father and brother, the Delhi Police said.

The recent development in the case is believed to be extremely significant as it will enable the police to file a chargesheet against Aaftab. Earlier the police had concerns about not having scientific proof of the chopping of Shraddha`s body, the weapon used for the purpose was unknown.

However, that was before AIIMS, Delhi released its autopsy report of the bone samples believed to be Shraddha`s.

The police are now set to file a chargesheet in the Saket Court against the accused, along with the 164 recorded statements of the witnesses, including over 50 friends of Shraddha. Doctors in AIIMS Delhi found `extremely thin lines` at the corners of the studied bones, suggesting that her body was chopped with a saw-like sharp object, the police said.

It is alleged that after chopping Shraddha`s body, Aaftab bought a refrigerator to preserve the chopped pieces before disposing of the remains at different locations in and around Delhi, at night-time over the next 18 days.

Earlier, the police accused Aaftab of giving misleading answers to questions. During preliminary investigation, Shraddha`s last location was found to be in Delhi, and the case was accordingly transferred to Delhi Police.

Shraddha`s father had even claimed a `love jihad` angle to the crime. During the investigation, it was found that Aaftab and Shraddha had moved into a rented apartment in the Chhattarpur Pahadi area. Over the course of its investigation, the police traced Aftab and nabbed him.