Tried to find solution but was insulted & warned against visiting Aaftab: Shraddha's father

Vikas Walkar, the father of call centre employee Shraddha Walkar who was allegedly killed by her partner Aaftab Poonawala, on Saturday claimed he had visited Aaftab's residence in Vasai earlier but was insulted and warned by his family members not to come again.

Speaking to the Marathi news channel ABP Majha, Vikas Walkar said he was not aware when his daughter shifted to Delhi, where she was killed in May this year. He demanded justice for Shraddha (27) and stern punishment for Aaftab for the ghastly crime that caused huge outrage.

Aaftab is accused of chopping Shraddha's body into multiple pieces after strangling her and keeping them in a fridge before disposing of them in Delhi over several days. The accused, who had rented a flat in the Mehrauli area where he committed the crime, was arrested on November 12.

"I had visited Aaftab's residence (at Vasai in Palghar district of Maharashtra) to find a solution to the issue (about their relationship) but I was insulted by Aaftab's cousin. His (Aaftab's) family members had warned me not to visit their residence again. After the death of my wife, the efforts to find a solution were stopped," Vikas Walkar said.

Walkar's family members filed a missing person's complaint in Manikpur police station in Vasai when Shraddha became untraceable, an official had said.

Vasai is the native area of the victim where the couple had stayed before shifting to the national capital.

"I was not aware that Shraddha had gone to Delhi. I got to know about her status after I filed a missing person complaint with the Manikpur police station (in Vasai)," Vikas Walkar said.

He said whenever he used to call his daughter, they spoke very few times. "I had tried to convince Shraddha (to walk out of the relationship) but she wouldn't listen," he added.