Delhi murder victim Shraddha Walker's father, advocate against relationship abuse, dies of cardiac arrest

Shraddha Walker's father, Vikas Walker has passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest in his Vasai West residence. Walker had spent the last three years of his life fighting to bring her daughter's alleged murdered to justice.

Walker's family members rushed her father to the hospital after he found found laying motionless, but he was declared dead on arrival by medics, reported ToI.

28-year-old Shraddha Walker was reportedly killed and chopped up in pieces by her live-in partner, Aftab Poonawaala, in a case that drew national outrage in 2022. The gruesome incident took place in the couple's rented Delhi apartment.


Vikas Walker was reportedly constantly in touch with the Delhi Police to foolow-up on details about his daughter's murder.

In the time since Shraddha Walker's death, Vikas spread awareness on any forms of violence against women. He also launched an NGO in 2024 to help women stuck in abusive relationships through legal counselling, support and aid.

Shraddha Walker murder case

The Shraddha Walker murder case is a gruesome and shocking crime that has captured national attention. Aftab Amin Poonawalla, Shraddha’s live-in partner, is the accused in this case.

The couple had been in a relationship for three years and had moved to Delhi from Maharashtra. On May 18, 2022, Aftab allegedly strangled Shraddha to death during a fight and then dismembered her body into 35 pieces. He stored the body parts in a refrigerator and later disposed of them in the nearby forest areas of Chattarpur and Mehrauli.

Aftab had reportedly planned the murder for over a week and even researched human anatomy to help him dismember the body. He also searched online for ways to dispose of the body without arousing suspicion.

The investigation into the case was initially hampered by Aftab’s attempts to mislead the police. He claimed that Shraddha had left their shared flat on May 22 and was unreachable since then. However, the police uncovered several pieces of digital evidence that contradicted his statements. A bank transaction of Rs 54,000 from Shraddha’s account to Aftab’s on May 26 proved that Shraddha was still in contact with him after the alleged departure date.

A chat from Shraddha’s Instagram account on May 31 was traced to the Mehrauli police station area. When confronted with this evidence, Aftab allegedly confessed to the murder. The police also found bloodstains in the kitchen of Aftab’s flat, which were sent for examination. Furthermore, Aftab’s fondness for crime-related web series and shows allegedly inspired him on how to preserve the body parts and dispose of them.

Shraddha’s father, Vikas Walker, had demanded the death penalty for Aftab and suspects a “love jihad” angle behind the incident. Shraddha’s family had strongly opposed her relationship with Aftab due to their different religious backgrounds.

The couple had met on a dating app in 2019 and later eloped to Delhi. Shraddha’s father filed a missing person's report after she stopped updating her social media and he was unable to contact her.

(With inputs from ToI)