Shraddha Walkar killer Aftab Poonawalla on Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s hit list; Tihar Jail may review security

Aftab Poonawala being escorted by police

Tihar Jail in Delhi may review the security arrangements for Shraddha Walker murder accused Aftaab Poonawala who has allegedly received threats from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Poonawala is presently lodged in a solitary cell of Tihar's jail number 4 due to a threat perception.

Poonawala was on the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s hit list, media reports have revealed.

An investigation into the murder of politician Baba Siddique led to the discovery of the gang’s plans to ‘target’ Aftab Poonawala, which was later dropped given his heightened security. The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was shot multiple times by three assailants outside his son’s office building in Mumbai’s Bandra East.

According to a Times of India report, Shiva Kumar Gautam, the main accused in Baba Siddique’s murder, has stated that fellow gang member Shubham Lonkar had mulled over attacking Poonawalla.

Also read: Baba Siddique murder case: Shooter waited outside hospital for 30 minutes to confirm death

The TOI report quoted police as saying, “Shiva disclosed that Shubham Lonkar, a member of the Bishnoi gang, and other senior figures had expressed intentions to target Aftab. This intelligence has now been shared with the Delhi police for further security measures.”

Shraddha Walkar, 27, was allegedly killed by her live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala in Delhi in 2022; her body was cut into pieces and scattered across the city. Poonawala had allegedly sawed Walkar's body into 35 pieces and kept them in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhi's Mehrauli before dumping them across the city over several days.