Assassination of Shraddha Walkar: SIT to look into letter angle, political pressure, claims Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, stated on Tuesday that the Shraddha Walkar murder case will be investigated by a special investigation team (SIT) of senior police personnel.

Fadnavis stated before the state legislature in Nagpur that the SIT will also look into the alleged delay in filing the complaint and Walkar's withdrawal of the letter, as well as whether there was any political pressure involved. Ashish Shelar, a BJP MLA, sought it.

"So far, it has been determined that Shraddha Walkar was not under political pressure to drop the case. We are looking into the situation. Between the complaint's filing and withdrawal, a month passed. We'll look at what steps the police took at the time, Fadnavis added. 

"So far, it has been determined that Shraddha Walkar was not under political pressure to drop the case. We are looking into the situation. Between the complaint's filing and withdrawal, a month passed. We'll look at what steps the police took at the time, Fadnavis added.

Amit Shah, the Union home minister, would be asked by the state government to have the case heard in a fast-track court, according to Fadnavis.

Aaftan Amin Poonawala, Walkar's live-in lover, is accused of killing her and chopping her body into 35 pieces. He had stored them for about three weeks in a 300-liter refrigerator at his Mehrauli home in south Delhi before disposing of them over the course of several days. 

The Maharashtra Police had previously asserted that Walkar filed a complaint in 2020 at the Tulinj Police Station in Palghar, alleging that Poonawala had assaulted her and made death threats.

She sent a letter of complaint to the Tulinj police station on November 23, 2020, according to confirmation from the Maharashtra Police.

Walker claimed in the letter of complaint that Poonawala's threats to kill her prevented her from having "the guts to go to the police." On the day she was composing the letter, she continued, he attempted to kill her and also threatened to chop her into pieces and toss her away.

The letter stated, "He has been assaulting me for six months."Poonwala's parents allegedly knew that he beat her and made an effort to kill her, according to the letter.

Following his arrest in the case, Poonwala allegedly confessed to killing and dismembering his live-in partner in their Chhatarpur residence, according to the Delhi Police.

Both had been introduced through a dating website, and as their relationship developed, they moved in together at a leased home in Chhatarpur.