Aaftab Poonawala, accused of murdering his girlfriend Shraddha Walkar in May, on Friday requested a Delhi court to release his credit and debit cards so he could buy warm clothes for the winter.
The application said: “The accused is suffering from harsh winter in Tihar Jail, and there are no adequate garments for the winter, so there are urgent necessities of the funds to purchase the day-to-day item as well as warm clothes.”
Pooonawala’s advocate MS Khan told the court it was a matter of urgency because his family had severed all ties with him following his arrest and he needed money for necessities and warm clothes. Poonawala’s debit and credit cards are with the police.
“His debit and credit cards will enable the accused to buy clothes and day-to-day articles in the winter season,” the application added.
The court said that the application will be taken up on the next date of hearing, January 10. The court also extended Poonawala’s judicial custody by four days. He had been produced before the court through video conferencing after completing 14 days in judicial custody.
Metropolitan magistrate Aviral Shukla said: “I am giving four days’ judicial custody. Now, accused will be produced before me physically on January 10.”
Poonawala, 28, allegedly killed Walkar, 27, on May 18 at their rented accommodation in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur Pahadi. According to the police, he then chopped up her body into 35 pieces and dumped them in forested areas in and around south Delhi — a tactic that helped him avoid being caught till his arrest on November 12.
HT reported on Wednesday that DNA samples, extracted from bones and hair fragments found in forested areas in south Delhi’s Qutub Minar and Chhattapur, matched with Walkar’s father and brother, officials aware with the details said.
“The exhibits were sent for DNA mitochondrial profiling. The DNA from bones and hair matched with Walkar’s father and brother. This establishes the bone and hair to be that of Shraddha Walkar. The bones will now be sent for post-mortem examination to be conducted by a medical board at AIIMS,” special commissioner of police Sagar Preet Hooda said.
