"Suspect 'Love Jihad', Want Death Penalty For Aftab": Shraddha's Father

Shraddha Walkar was allegedly murdered and her body was cut into 35 pieces by her live-in partner Aftab Ameen Poonawala in Delhi.

The father of Shraddha Walkar, who was allegedly murdered and her body was cut into 35 pieces by her live-in partner Aftab Ameen Poonawala in Delhi, on Tuesday demanded a death penalty for the accused while also suspecting a "love jihad" angle behind the incident.

"I suspected a love jihad angle. We demand death penalty for Aftab. I trust Delhi Police and the probe is moving in the right direction. Shraddha was close to her uncle and didn't talk to me much. I was never in touch with Aftab. I lodged the first complaint in Mumbai's Vasai," her father Vikas Walkar told news agency ANI.

Aftab, 28, was a food blogger who used to work at a call centre in Delhi, police investigation has revealed. The police are now probing if he had rented a flat in Delhi's Chhatarpur area as part of a conspiracy to kill the victim. Police also revealed that the couple, who met on a dating app, used to have frequent fights.

The couple were in a relationship since 2019 and had moved to Delhi this year, police sources told ANI. Prior to this, they were in Maharashtra and used to travel to various places. They visited some hill stations in March-April and in May, they went to Himachal Pradesh where they met a man who lived in Chhatarpur. Upon shifting to Delhi, they initially stayed at the man's flat, reports said.