Man in India kills live-in partner, chops body into 35 pieces

In a horrific incident reported from India's capital New Delhi, a man allegedly killed his live-in partner and chopped her body into 35 pieces before scattering them all over the city.

The man, identified as Aftab Amin Poonawalla, managed to keep his crime hidden for five months. According to local media reports, Poonawalla strangled 27-year-old Shraddha on May 18. He then chopped her body into pieces and bought a new fridge to store them.

He would go out in the dead of night to dispose of the pieces at various locations in Delhi. He did it over a span of 18 days, with no one finding out about what he was up to. The incident only came to light after Shraddha's family reached out to the police, as they had been unable to contact her for months.

There had been no updates on her social media and her family did not receive calls from her either. Her father eventually lodged an FIR for the kidnapping of his daughter at the Mehrauli police station in Delhi on November 8.

The police launched an investigation into the case and questioned Poonawalla in connection with the victim's disappearance.

"They had private jobs in Mumbai, and the man had started working here. They got together via a dating app, were in a live-in relationship in Mumbai and continued here," the Times of India quoted Delhi police as saying.

During questioning, Poonawalla revealed that Shraddha had been pressuring him to get married, and they would often end up fighting over it. He ended up strangling her after one such argument in May.

Shraddha and Poonawalla both used to work at a call centre in Mumbai. The two fell in love and moved in together.

But their families did not approve of their relationship, and the couple eloped to Delhi. They started living in a flat in the Mehrauli area in April.

The police have filed a case of murder against Poonawala, and a search is on to retrieve the remains of Shraddha's body. Some of the parts have been discovered in a forest. The accused is currently under police custody.