Delhi murder-accused inspired by crime show 'Dexter', chef training: cops

Aaftab Amin Poonawala is accused for murdering his girlfriend. (Image credit: @ANI/Twitter)

Aaftab Amin Poonawala, the 28-year-old man who is accused of killing his live-in partner and chopping her body into 35 pieces in Delhi, was inspired by crime series “Dexter”, he reportedly told the police. The grisly murder of Shraddha Walkar which came to light on Monday has been among the biggest talking points on the internet since Monday.

Walkar, who was from Palghar near Mumbai, was killed and her body chopped into 35 pieces by Poonawala in Delhi, the police said.

Poonawala and Walkar had met through dating app Bumble following which they started working at a call centre in Mumbai.

The couple moved to the house in Delhi’s Mehrauli in May. On May 18, an argument broke out between them and Poonawala tried to shut her mouth with his hand, the police said. He later allegedly strangled her, police said.

The next day, the man bought a saw and a 300-litre refrigerator, taking inspiration from American crime drama “Dexter”. The show is about a serial killer who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.

Delhi Police said Poonawala allegedly chopped her body into 35 pieces. He then kept the pieces in the refrigerator for almost three weeks at his home. He dumped the pieces across the city over several days, according to Delhi Police.

He used to take out the chopped pieces, pack them in polythene bags and take them to the forest in a backpack. "He would go to the jungle at around 2 am and return a couple of hours later. He repeated this for around 20 days," a police official said.

(With inputs from PTI)