Delhi murder: Shraddha called sick often due to domestic abuse, says former co-worker

Shraddha Walkar's co-workers have revealed that they were aware that her boyfriend Aaftab Poonawala used to beat her up, and once had mercilessly beaten her up in November 2020. One of her co-workers, Karan, said that Shraddha used to miss office often, and one day shared her problem with him.  

Karan said he had tried to help Shraddha in 2020 and was keen on her well-being. He said they were in touch for a few weeks when he had assured her with all help.  

“In November 2020, I got to know for the first time that Shraddha was beaten up and it was a case of domestic abuse. She used to call in sick often before that," said Karan, who was her team manager in Mumbai where she used to work in a call centre. 

He added that one day he asked her to send him her photo over curiosity. He said he was heartbroken to see how Aaftab had beaten her up. She had bruises under her right eye and her neck.  

Karan, who thought they were married, said that he had asked Shraddha to shift with his mother or sister for immediate safety and he even helped her approach the cops. He added he had engaged his friend to help Shraddha out of her situation, who also confirmed that Shraddha had burn marks on her stomach and other bruises.  

He added that Shraddha went to the police and gave a written complaint. But in between, Aaftab called her and said he would do harm to himself, and she left. She also went to his parent's place and they assured her he would move out of the house, which they both had rented, cut off all ties, and never harass her. Only after that, she decided to take back her complaint. 

Karan added that he thought they had broken up after the incident, but later realised that both had shifted to Delhi. 

Shraddha was allegedly killed by her boyfriend Aaftab, who dismembered her body into 35 pieces after killing her on May 18 this year. He allegedly stuffed them into a newly-bought refrigerator and then disposed of them at various locations around Mehrauli.
Earlier, Shraddha’s friends had also confirmed that Aaftab used to beat her and on one such occasions, Shraddha was taken to a Vasai-based hospital in 2020 when she was suffering from severe back pain. On December 3, 2020, Shraddha was hospitalised at Ozone Multispeciality Hospital in Vasai, with severe pain in her back and spine for around a week. 

Shraddha’s other friend Laxman Nadar claimed that both of them had many fights and arguments. "One day she got in touch with me on WhatsApp and asked me to rescue her from her residence. She said that if she stayed with him (Aaftab) that night, he would kill her," Nadar said.   

Nadar said that when Shraddha had shared details about her abusive relationship with her family, her father had insisted she stayed back. But then she reconciled with Aaftab and shifted to Delhi.