Shraddha Walkar murder case: Did Aftab Poonawala just beat the polygraph test?

How to prove in the court that Aftab Poonawala killed Shraddha Walkar and chopped her body into pieces This has become a seemingly insurmountable challenge for the Delhi police as they havenrsquot got any direct evidence against Poonawala yet said sources in the Delhi police The entire case now revolves around circumstantial evidence as the police await the outcomes of narco and forensic tests Poonawala appears to have a script ready they sayAmid mounting pressure due to intense media spotlight on the case the Delhi police has set up a special investigating team SIT to overcome the difficulties The SIT is being headed by South Delhi DCP Chandan Chaudhary and is being monitored by senior officers including special CP Dr Sagar Preet Hooda Since the crime was committed six months ago officials believe Poonawala has destroyed every piece of evidence Absence of eyewitnesses has complicated the caseThe chilling details of the crime have so far come only via Poonawalarsquos confessionWhile the Delhi cops said there is some twist in the case they are yet to spell it The chilling details of the crime in public domain have come during his questioning in police custody Sources said the cops canrsquot even confirm if Walkar was killed in Delhi and that the killer is Poonawala Delhi police officers said they have collected blood stains from the bathroom bedroom and the kitchen of Poonawalarsquos Chhatrapur flat ldquoThis is one of the strongest pieces of forensic evidence recovered so farrdquo a senior Delhi police officer saidAlso Read Shraddha Walkar murder case Food order history a clue about day of murderThe other material recovered from forested patches in Mehrauli and Gurugram include bones clothes and weapons ldquoThe bones were recovered based on identification given by the accused but we have to wait for the DNA and forensic reports to confirm if they are Walkarrsquosrdquo said the officer Since the bones and blood stains are many months old experts will need more scientific techniques to arrive at any conclusion The Delhi police have also asked forensic experts to find out using the circumstantial evidence if the victim was chopped alive or after deathConfession not admissibleSources said the whole case now stands on Poonawalarsquos confession and revelations Poonawala has maintained that he killed his livein partner in a fit of anger after she provoked him His statement has no value before the court of law and the police have to prove their case with direct evidence and Poonawalarsquos motiveSources said Poonawala has been cooperating with the police and they suspect it is as per a planWhile Poonawala is fully cooperating the police suspect it could be as per a script ldquoHe may have planned all this as he feared that he would be arrested one day But he had enough time to prepare himself and destroy evidence in the past six months ldquoHe was confident that he would never get caught In fact when he was called by the Manikpur police he had Walkerrsquos phone which he threw into the creek on his way to the police station He still had a few body parts in his fridge when he went to record his statement in Mumbai He said Walkar left him after their breakup and he had no idea about her whereabouts Such was his confidence that the cops believed in his theory which is surprisingrdquo a Delhi police officer saidThe other fear of the Delhi police is what if the bones recovered so far do not match Walkarrsquos DNA samples ldquoThis is not an openandshut case as it appears there are various challenges and we are dealing with a welleducated person who has already prepared himself to face lawenforcing agencies He is answering everything as per his plan and we have already lost 14 days of his custody and are now investigating the case based on his statements and revelationsrdquo said the officerNarco test only hopeCops said Poonawalarsquos polygraph test was unsatisfactory Sources said Poonawalarsquos internet search history shows that he has studied about polygraph and narcoanalysis tests and is mentally prepared to tackle their questions While they are now pinning their hopes on a narcoanalysis test the cops are aware that it is also not admissible in court unless something recovered based on the narco test can be considered as per the Evidence ActMediapersons and locals near a pond where Poonawala is suspected to have dumped Walkarrsquos body parts at Chhatarpur in New Delhi on November 21 File picAs per Poonawallarsquos confession he killed Walkar between 6 pm and 7 pm on May 18 and purchased a 300litre refrigerator the next day He chopped her body into several pieces using a saw hacksaw hammer knife and nails and probably a ply cutter machine He kept the body parts in his fridge and disposed of them over the next few monthsAdvocate slams Vasai copsThe 90day delay by Manikpur police in taking action against Poonawala may prove difficult for the Delhi police to secure a conviction in this case said senior criminal lawyer advocate Darshana Tripathi from Vasai court on Tuesday ldquoSince there is no eyewitness in this highprofile case the Delhi police is gathering circumstantial evidence to establish the murder and secure conviction in this case Else he Aaftab Poonawala will go scotfree thereafter if the link in circumstantial evidence breaks anywhererdquo said TripathildquoIt is the reason the Delhi police have been recording the statements of all the people who were linked with Shraddha Walkar The Delhi police have been working on making a chain of evidence to gather circumstantial evidence and if the chain is not linked to each other the accused will not be convicted in this case As a criminal lawyer I feel that the Manikpur police should have immediately registered a missing complaint in midAugust and handed over the matter to Delhi police to investigate At least this would not have given a tough time to the investigating team to deal with the case messed up by Manikpur policerdquo added advocate Tripathi