Vasai: In November 2020, a year and a half before Shraddha Walkar was allegedly killed on May 18, 2022, by live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi, she had given a complaint at the Tulinj police station in Vasai, stating that he had been thrashing her for six months and had even tried to kill her by suffocating her.
Ms Walkar had also accused him of trying to blackmail her and threatening to cut her into pieces.
She had also claimed that Mr Poonawala’s parents were aware of his violent behaviour towards her as they visited them at times on weekends.
Ms Walkar's letter was dated Nov 23, 2020, and submitted to the police in person. Some three weeks later, on Dec 19, however, she withdrew the complaint in writing, claiming that the couple had sorted out their differences.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also Maharashtra’s Home Minister, told reporters that this matter will be investigated.
In the letter that surfaced days after Mr Poonawala’s arrest by the Delhi police, she had complained that he would beat her and even tried to strangle her.
The police sent a constable to her home twice to investigate the complaint, but Ms Walkar told them she wanted to withdraw. The police then told her she would have to come to the police station and give a statement to that effect, which she did. A copy of both the complaint letter and her statement are with The Free Press Journal.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police, which had sent a team to Vasai to investigate the case, has so far recorded the statements of 18 people. Mr Poonawala’s father is currently in Delhi and is likely to be questioned there.
