New Delhi, Jul 16 (IANS): Delhi Police have found dismembered parts of the body, possibly of a woman in her mid or late 30s, on July 2, dumped separately in two black polythene bags with the head one and other body parts in another at a wooded area near Delhi’s Geeta Colony flyover.

As investigations into the case continue, the police have been faced with a challenging task. The decomposed condition of the body has made it difficult to determine whether all the body parts have been recovered. Furthermore, the identity of the deceased is still unknown.

Forensic experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and crime teams have collected evidence from the crime scene, which may provide crucial leads in the investigation. However, at this stage, the investigators have not made any significant breakthroughs.

According to a police official with knowledge of the investigation, police teams have been meticulously scanning CCTV footage to establish the sequence of the crime and determine when it occurred. This process takes time, and in addition to the CCTV analysis, multiple teams have been deployed to gather information from informers and witnesses, aiming to crack the case.

A retired Delhi Police inspector, Ram Prakash (67), a resident of Mundka said that to nab accused behind such cases is pose a challenge for investigators, as less or no leads (blind murder) of accused, murder weapons and evidences take times to piece together, which was seen in Shraddha Walkar murder, who was chopped by her live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala.

Ponnawala, had killed Shraddha at their rented accommodation in Chattarpur in South Delhi on May 18 and in later days dumped her body parts, after chopping them, in nearby Mehrauli forest and in Gurugram.

The unfolding of the incident began with the victim's father filing a complaint in Mumbai in September. A friend informed him that Shraddha Walkar's phone had been unreachable for two months, and the accused, Poonawala, claimed that they had separated some time ago.

However, it was the Delhi Police that obtained a lead in November and initiated an intense search for Walkar’s body parts.

He was arrested November 18 and following Poonawala’s confession, the police meticulously scoured various forest areas. They even emptied a pond in Madangir during their search.

Ultimately, more than 13 body parts were recovered from forest areas in Mehrauli and Gurugram. The investigators made headway when DNA samples extracted from the bones found at the murder scene matched samples provided by Walkar’s father.

Explaining the whole process, Prakash said that police team connected all the dots, including his confession.

“Several teams worked on to crack the case. CCTV were scanned, clues were gathered to verify his confession statements, as a part of ‘standard operating procedure’. Each step in such cases is taken carefully as the accused might be misleading,” he said.

“Poonawala to dodge police and evade arrest from heinous crime even cleaned the crime scene making it more difficult for the investigators to crack the case.

“The FSL played important role in it after it gathered evidences. The reports of evidences collected always take nearby month time, which though delays the [robe but also gives investigators time to collect more evidence,” he said.

However, the weapon used in crime and remains have been recovered, but Walkar’s mobile phone, which the accused allegedly discarded, has yet to be recovered by the police.

The case had investigators on edge, and it generated numerous salacious stories in the media. However, the police categorically denied these rumors.

Shortly after the Walkar case came to light, another sensational murder emerged involving 45-year-old Anjan Das. He was killed on May 30 by his wife, Poonam (48), and stepson, Deepak (25). The mother-son duo was arrested in connection with the incident from Pandav Nagar in East Delhi.

Similar to the Walkar case, Das’s body was dismembered and stuffed into a bag, which was later dumped at the Ramlila Ground in Kalyanpuri in June.

“The deceased was identified after his picture was circulated and door-to-door identification process was carried out by the investigators in the city. Soon after his identification, CCTV cameras were checked and accused were identified,” said a senior police official.

Over the following days, his legs, thighs, skull, and a forearm were recovered. It was revealed that Das already had a wife and eight sons in Bihar, a fact he had concealed from Poonam but accused were still to be nabbed.

“However, the case was only cracked in November after strong questioning of the suspect. The mother-son duo had murdered Das out of suspicion that he had inappropriate intentions toward his stepdaughter and stepson's wife.

“They disposed of the body parts at different locations in East Delhi over a period of three to four days, burying the skull,” the official said.