New Delhi, Nov 15 A doctor at the Apex Hospital in South Delhi's Chattapur area has revealed that Aftab Ameen Poonawalla (28), who has been arrested for allegedly killing his live-in partner and chopping her body into 35 pieces, had visited him for the treatment of a wound on his right forearm in May, the same month the woman was killed.
Police officers privy to the investigation suspect that he might have suffered a knife wound on his arm while chopping the body of his girlfriend, Shraddha Walkar (27). The hospital is within walking distance from the accused's house.
Dr Anil Kumar said that in May, Aftab had come to the hospital in the morning with an injury on his right forearm.
"It was not a deep wound and the underline structure was intact. When I asked him how did he sustain the injury, he said while cutting fruits. I did not doubt him, as it was a small clean knife cut," said Kumar.
"The police had come here two days ago along with Aftab Poonawalla. The cops asked me if I had treated him, to which I said yes as I remembered him because of his aggressive nature and restlessness when he came for treatment," Kumar added.
"He was very bold and confident and continuously talked to me in English. He even told me that he hails from Mumbai and came here to find an opportunity in the IT sector," the doctor said.
The police said that after chopping the body on May 18, the accused bought a new refrigerator with a large storage capacity the next day and stored the remains in it. To counter the stench, he lit incense sticks at his home.
Aftab was reportedly inspired by the American crime show 'Dexter', which tells the story of a man with homicidal tendencies who lives a double life.
Being a trained chef, the accused was adept at using a knife, according to the sources. However, the murder weapon is yet to be recovered.
He had thrown the body pieces at various locations over a period of 18 days. To avoid suspicion, he used to leave his house with a body part in a polybag at around 2 a.m.
The matter came to light on November 8 when the victim's father along with a police team from Palghar, Maharashtra, came to the Mehrauli police station to register a missing complaint.
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