Mehrauli murder case: Bathroom tiles may hold key to nailing accused Aaftab Poonawala

NEW DELHI: The bathroom tiles in Aaftab Poonawala’s rented flat in south Delhi may help the cops nail him for the alleged murder of his live-in partner, Shraddha Walkar. The forensics team is learnt to have recovered crucial bloodstains and spots that may prove key to the investigation.
While the tiles had been cleaned, forensics recovered traces from the grouting that hadn’t been washed away completely.Sleuths from CBI's Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) are learnt to have broken and taken the pieces for detailed examination on Tuesday.

Any blood traces or DNA found on the tiles will be matched with those of Shraddha's father and brother, whose samples have already been collected. A positive match will help the cops prove that Shraddha was murdered in the house.
The tiles were scrutinised after Aaftab told the police that he had put Shraddha’s body in the bathroom after strangling her and carried out the chopping there. He also reportedly ran tap water and chemicals to soften the body and then allowed the blood and the compounds to drain out. Police sources explained that in addition to Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, which reports to Delhi government, CBI's CFSL has been roped for its advanced equipment and analysis technologies.
Police have also developed a 'rough site plan' from Aaftab's house, using which they mapped different places related to the case. Police divers have also reportedly recovered some bone pieces from the pond in Maidangarhi. The investigators are now trying to track a common friend of Shraddha and Aaftab who provided them with drugs.
CFSL is conducting tests on the recovered bone pieces. It will take around two weeks for the lab to submit its report. Earlier, the Rohini team had picked up traces of some stains from the kitchen.
On Tuesday, the cops continued their hunt for bones and other pieces of evidence in the murder case. Divers recovered some bones, possibly from the limbs, from the pond in Maidangarhi and sent them for analysis. Sources said the pond is located on a stretch that falls on the route that Aaftab took to his office in Gurgaon.
“There is a possibility that he had looked up information on nearby ponds on the internet. The site of the pond makes it possible that Aaftab could have thrown the pieces of the victim’s body while on his way to work,” said a police source.
Locals who live close to the pond said that people usually threw garbage in the waterbody and at times dumped items used in pujas there. The pond was last cleaned in October before the Chhath Pooja. Several black polythene bags had been recovered and thrown into the garbage trucks.
Police sources also said on Tuesday that the couple had ended their relationship at least three times prior to the alleged murder. Aaftab told his interrogators that they were living as flatmates at the time of the crime, dividing the living expenses between themselves. There were constant fights about who would purchase the household items or run the house.
During questioning, the murder accused gave varying answers to each question asked by the cops and tried to mislead the investigators. That was why the narcoanalysis became necessary. One officer said, “Aaftab gave different answers when asked about the disposal of body parts or the reason for killing her. He was taken to the crime scene for the recreation of a murder, where he tried to mislead the probe team. These are some of the factors that prompted us to seek narcoanalysis.”