Shraddha Walkar murder: Now, drug angle emerges in probe against Aftab Poonawala

The Gujarat police have arrested a 31-year-old peddler who is suspected of having supplied drugs to Aftab Poonawala at his Vasai home. Sources said the drug seller, Faisal Abdul Momin, is a resident of the Muslim Committee building at Dindayal Nagar in Vasai West, and Poonawala was a frequent visitor to the area as he has friends from the same circle. Delhi police sources have said that Poonawala has confessed to doing drugs regularly.

A Gujarat Crime Branch officer said Vasai-based Faisal had been supplying drugs to Surat for the past many years. On November 12, the police in Surat raided two places at Apexa Nagar Society on Bamreli Road, Pandesara, and seized 1.79 kg and 2.17 kg of mephedrone worth about R3.5 crore. Later, they arrested two men identified as Aniket Shinde and Sanjaykumar Pal.

Wasif Abdul Choudhary, Faisal's childhood friend. Pic/Hanif Patel; (right) Aftab Poonawala is accused of killing his live-in partner

The two told the police that they have a common friend, Wasif Abdul Choudhary, whom they had met while working in a catering business.

Police sources said Wasif and Faisal are childhood friends. Faisal would hand over the narcotic substances to Wasif who then supplied them to Shinde and Pal in Surat.

The Gujarat Crime Branch has also seized six mobile phones from the four and is now scanning their call data records to check if Poonawala was in touch with Faisal.

Also Read: Mumbai: Two Zimbabweans held by DRI with drugs worth Rs 50 crore at airport

"We suspect Aftab was a drug addict but we haven't got any evidence yet because the Delhi police are investigating the case and they are recording statements," said a source from Manikpur police station in Vasai.

Before his arrest in Delhi, the Manikpur cops had questioned Poonawala twice - on October 23 and November 3 - on a missing person complaint filed by Shraddha Walkar's father. In custody, Poonwala apparently told the Delhi cops that he killed Walkar, his live-in partner, and cut her body into several pieces and disposed of them in forested patches in the national capital.

Investigating officer J N Zala from Surat Crime Branch told mid-day, "Recently, we arrested Faisal Momin from Mumbai. We suspect Faisal was a friend of Poonawala and sold drugs to him. We are checking their CDR [call data records]." Zala said the four arrested men are in judicial custody and they will seek permission to question them. "We are checking all possible links," he added.

1.79kg
Quantity of drug seized in Surat on November 12

2
No. of times Manikpur cops questioned Poonawala before his arrest

‘He got Rs 50k after selling furniture'

An officer from the Delhi police team that is probing the Walkar murder said on Sunday: "After killing Shraddha Walkar in Delhi, Aftab Poonawala arrived in Mumbai and contacted Goodwin Packers and Movers from Mira Road to transport his household items from Vasai to Delhi. We have also found that he sold two cupboards and a refrigerator in Vasai for Rs 50,000. We are checking where he spent the money in Mumbai."