Aaftab Poonawala was taken to the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Delhi’s Rohini area around 8.30 am for the test, which started around 10 am and ended at 12.30 pm, sources said.
The narco analysis test of Aaftab Amin Poonawala, the accused in the ghastly murder of his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar in Delhi, concluded on Thursday, December 1, according to sources. The test was successful and provided several clues to the investigators, they said. Aaftab was taken to the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Delhi’s Rohini area around 8.30 am for the test, which started around 10 am and ended at 12.30 pm, they added. His polygraph test at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini had ended on Tuesday.
According to a senior FSL official, Aaftab’s polygraph test is now complete and a detailed report will be shared in a day or two with the Delhi Police. The sources said that the polygraph and narco tests were imperative in the case, as Aaftab was “deceptive” in nature during interrogation and tried to mislead the interrogators.
Before the narco test, Poonawalla underwent a general check-up for blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature and heart beat, a senior official told PTI. A consent form with complete details of Poonawala and the team conducting his narco test was read out to him as part of the procedure. The procedure was started after he signed it, the official said.
Narco analysis involves intravenous administration of a drug (such as sodium pentothal, scopolamine, and sodium amytal) that causes the person undergoing it to enter into various stages of anaesthesia. In the hypnotic stage, the person becomes less inhibited and is more likely to divulge information, which would usually not be revealed in the conscious state. Investigating agencies use this test after other pieces of evidence do not provide a clear picture of a case.
The Supreme Court has ruled that narco-analysis, brain mapping, and polygraph tests cannot be conducted on any person without his or her consent. Also, statements made during this test are not admissible as primary evidence in the court, except under certain circumstances when the bench thinks that the facts and nature of the case permit it.
Shraddha and Aaftab had met through the dating app ‘Bumble’ in 2018. They had come to Delhi on May 8 and shifted to the Chattarpur area on May 15. On May 18, Aaftab allegedly killed Shraddha, chopped her body into 35 pieces and dumped them across various places over a period of 18 days.
With inputs from PTI
