Friends of Shraddha Walker, the 26-year-old woman who was strangled and mutilated into pieces by her live-in partner Aftab Amin, have revealed details of their toxic and abusive relationship, indicating that Shraddha was unhappy and desperate to break off the relationship.
According to her acquaintances, Shraddha stated that she was “living in hell” and was frightened that her partner Aftab would “kill her.” The couple’s neighbours and friends reported that they used to fight frequently, and Walkar was afraid for her life.
In a video, which OpIndia has accessed, Shraddha’s friend Rajat Shukla recalled how Shraddha’s personality changed after she started living with Aftab. “We use to study, do theatre and act together. Shraddha was very active and there was a lot of spark in her personality. However, as 2018 approached we started noticing a lot of changes in her personality. It is often expected that a person would change for the better, but in Shraddha’s case, she started withering. Probably this was the time when Aftab entered her life,” said Shraddha’s close friend.
He added, “We, however, did not about their relationship until 2019. We initially learnt that the duo were living together in Vasai, but we were later told that they were shifting to Delhi for work. After that, we lost touch with Shraddha until we came to know that she had disappeared. Later we learnt about her ghastly murder. This cannot be love. Love stories cannot have such a horrific end. There is certainly a larger conspiracy behind the entire act, who is Aftab? what was his motive? all these things need to be investigated thoroughly, demanded Shukla.
Shraddha wanted to leave Aftab but could not, says her friend
Notably, while speaking to ANI Rajat Shukla also revealed that initially, the couple had started out in a happy relationship, but things soon turned sour between them and Shraddha told her friends that Aftab had been assaulting her and she wanted to leave him.
Shukla said, “She told us in 2019 that she was in a relationship since 2018. They lived together. Initially, they lived happily, but then Shraddha started saying that Aftab beats her. She wanted to leave him but couldn’t do so.”
Laxman Nadar, another friend of the victim, was quoted by DNA as saying, “They used to have a lot of fights. There was a fight to such an extent that she texted me on WhatsApp and asked me to take her somewhere that night. She said that if she lived with Aftab that night, he would kill her.”
Nadar said that her friends had assisted her in leaving the house when Aftab became violent. He added that they even threatened Aftab that they would phone the police and file a complaint against him.
Victim’s father suspects ‘love jihad’ angle in the case
Earlier in the day, we reported how the father of the 26-year-old girl is reportedly suspecting a ‘love jihad’ angle in the case and demanded the death penalty for the accused perpetrator.
Speaking to ANI, Shraddha’s father, Vikas Madan Walker said, “I suspected a love jihad angle. We demand the death penalty for Aftab. I trust Delhi Police and the probe 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.”
According to the FIR, Shraddha’s family was opposed to the relationship because Aftab was a Muslim. They also objected to Shraddha’s decision to live with Aftab. However, Shraddha was adamant about her decision.
Aftab shows no remorse for killing Shraddha, say Delhi Police
Meanwhile, the Delhi police revealed that Aftab showed no remorse for murdering Shraddha. The only time he cried was reportedly when his father visited the police station after his arrest.
Aftab Amin, 28, who eloped with Shraddha from Mumbai, and chopped her into 35 pieces in a rented residence in Chhatarpur, was apprehended by the police on Saturday (November 12).
Aftab was allegedly irritated by the victim’s request to marry him. He strangled her to death on May 18, this year. Aftab, who had previously worked as a cook, sliced the body parts with an iron saw, which is used to cut wood and trees. He also threw the blood-soaked clothing in the bin. After that, the accused bought a refrigerator and kept her body in it for many days. He cut her into 35 pieces and disposed of them in 18 different sites around Delhi.
