The attack on Aaftab Poonawala took place this evening.
New Delhi:
A police van carrying Aaftab Amin Poonawala — accused of the horrific murder of girlfriend Shraddha Walkar in Delhi — was attacked by a group of sword-wielding men last evening. The police managed to control the situation and Poonawala is safe, sources said.
Sources said the police van was taking Poonawala back to jail from west Delhi’s Forensic Science Laboratory, after his second polygraph test.
The attack took place outside the FSL building.
Sources said the men had parked their car ahead of the police van, blocking it. Then five men emerged from the car, waving swords, and targeted the van. Sources said the police pulled out their weapons and fired in the air. No one was injured and two of the attackers have been taken into custody.
They have claimed that their names were Nigam Gujjar and Kuldeep Thakur and they were residents of Gurugram, sources said. They also claimed that they were members of right wing group Hindu Sena — which the police are verifying, sources said
In a statement, the Hindu Sena said: “Whatever these activists have done is their personal feelings, the whole country is watching how Aftab cut a Hindu girl into pieces. The organization does not support any such work which is against the constitution of India, we believe in the law of India”.
Poonawala’s lawyer told NDTV that he would go to court “seeking protection for Aaftab”.
Poonawala has claimed that he killed Shraddha Walkar during a heated altercation. Later, he chopped the body into 35 pieces and after storing them in a refrigerator for days, disposed of them in various parts of Delhi. Less than 20 parts have been recovered and sent for DNA tests.
He has admitted to the murder in court too, but it would not count as evidence since the proceedings were a hearing about the extension of his police remand.
The results of the polygraph test or the narco-analysis which will be held later, are not admissible in court either.
There are no primary witnesses in the case. Currently, the police only have circumstantial evidence of the horrific crime that has shocked the nation.
Poonawala has been kept in his Tihar’s jail number 4, under round-the-clock camera surveillance.