New Delhi:

In fresh development in the Shraddha Walkar murder case, the Delhi Police has got hold of an audio clip in which the accused, Aaftab Poonawala, can be heard fighting with her.

The police is considering the clip as “big evidence” which will go a long way in establishing the motive behind the gruesome murder. 

Aaftab, 28, allegedly chopped up 26-year-old Shraddha’s body into 35 pieces and kept those in a 300-litre refrigerator for weeks at his residence in south Delhi’s Mehrauli before disposing of the parts across the city over several days. 

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) forensics team will collect Aaftab’s voice sample today after a Delhi court order. The authorities will then match the voice sample with the newly procured audio clip to make fresh breakthroughs in the case.

On Friday, the court also extended Aaftab’s judicial custody by 14 days. He has been in judicial custody since November 26. Aaftab appeared before the court through video conference. 

Despite arguments from Aaftab’s lawyer against its order, the court said that consent of an accused is only required for tests like narco analysis, brain mapping and polygraph. 

“True, fair trial is right of an accused but it is also true that fair investigation is also required in the larger public interest as the offence cannot escape and crime cannot go unnoticed merely because accused is not ready to aid in the investigation. Thus, the application moved by IO (investigation officer) seeking permission for voice sampling test of accused is allowed,” Metropolitan Magistrate Vijayshree Rathore said, as quoted by news agency PTI. 

The voice sampling test is scheduled to be conducted at the CBI’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in the national capital.