Bones in wild, bodies in tanks: Delhi’s hidden dead

On May 18, 2022, 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar was murdered in a case that shocked the country. During the investigation, Delhi police alleged that the accused, her boyfriend Aftab Poonawala, had stored parts of her body in a 300-litre refrigerator.

According to investigators, over the following 18 days, Poonawala disposed of the remains in different parts of Mehrauli’s forested area near Sanjay Van after allegedly cutting the body into 35 pieces.

Hidden spaces

Several similar cases have emerged since then across Delhi’s forested and isolated areas. These incidents have not been confined to forests alone, but have also involved parks, abandoned plots, and poorly monitored public spaces that remain largely hidden from view.

Till May 11 this year, more than five incidents involving bodies recovered from isolated areas had been reported — sometimes in forests, sometimes on civic land, and sometimes inside disused water tanks.

On March 24, residents of Kotla Mubarakpur woke to the recovery of skeletal remains near a DDA park close to Safdarjung Airport. With only a skull and a few bones recovered, police remain uncertain about both the identity of the deceased and the cause of death.

Officials noted that the remains were found along a pathway inside a forested section of the park.

Such cases are not limited to south Delhi’s heavily wooded areas.

Near the Majlis Park Metro station, thick shrubbery along a parking area became the site of another recovery on February 12, when an unidentified body with a partially burnt face and neck was discovered.

More concerning for investigators is that many such bodies are discovered long after death, making identification and forensic examination difficult.

A similar situation emerged in Mayur Vihar, where a body was recovered from a disused water tank. Officials involved in the investigation said the deceased was wearing a tracksuit, but decomposition had significantly hindered identification efforts.

Disturbing pattern

Khubram Park in Prem Nagar, Deer Park in Hauz Khas, and Buddha Park in Wazirabad have also seen cases involving abandoned newborns. According to records from the Zonal Integrated Police Network (ZIPNET), several infants were found hidden in bushes, dustbins, and other concealed locations.

Some bodies were recovered in an advanced state of decomposition, while others showed signs of severe malnutrition.

“The perpetrators know what they are doing. They choose secluded parks where surveillance is limited, ensuring they escape punishment,” a senior police officer said.

The officer added that bodies exposed to moisture posed particular difficulties during investigation.

“When submerged, decomposition accelerates, making post-mortem examinations and identification more difficult. Some bodies we recovered had been decomposing for weeks or months,” he said.

Another officer said bodies recovered from canals and drains were often the hardest to identify.

“Many bodies are dumped in water bodies, which makes tracking and identification extremely difficult,” the officer said.

“Normally, we do not have extensive patrolling in forest areas because there is limited activity there. Our primary responsibility is ensuring residents’ safety, which often results in comparatively less patrolling in deserted or non-residential areas,” another officer said.

Security concerns

Crimes drawing public attention did not stop with the Walkar case. Since June 2025, an 18-year-old woman, Mahak Jain, was allegedly killed by Arshkrit Singh, who police said later attempted to burn her body in Sanjay Van.

She had left home that morning to attend classes at Delhi University’s School of Open Learning. When she failed to return by midday, her mother contacted her. The student reportedly replied that she would be home shortly, but her family never saw her alive again.

The victim’s family later received a call from Singh’s father, who claimed his son had been attacked with a knife in Sanjay Van and was undergoing treatment at a hospital. Suspecting Singh’s involvement because of previous altercations between the pair, the family searched the forest area and reported Jain missing to the Mehrauli police.

According to police, CCTV footage later led investigators to Singh, who was detained for questioning.

Police alleged that Singh confessed to luring Jain to a secluded part of Sanjay Van under the pretext of a meeting, where he stabbed and strangled her before attempting to burn the body to destroy evidence.

Also Read: In India’s suicide capital, every 8th victim a student

Police recovered charred remains from the site and said Singh had sustained minor injuries during the incident, for which he later sought medical treatment. He was subsequently arrested and charged under provisions related to murder and destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

While efforts are underway to improve surveillance in such areas, gaps in security and monitoring continue to remain.

Ongoing case

Poonawala is currently lodged in cell number four of Tihar Jail in west Delhi, where he remains under surveillance. Delhi Police filed a 6,629-page chargesheet against him 75 days after the investigation began.

On November 29, 2022, while Poonawala was being transported from a forensic laboratory in west Delhi back to prison, the police vehicle was allegedly attacked by sword-wielding men linked to the Hindu Sena. The organisation later distanced itself from the incident, claiming those involved had acted independently.

On March 15, 2024, following a plea filed by his lawyer, Akshay Bhandari, the Delhi High Court directed prison authorities to allow Poonawala outside his cell for eight hours daily, in line with the treatment provided to other inmates. Earlier, he had been allowed outside for only two hours each day.

The order was passed by a Bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait in response to a petition arguing that he could not be kept in solitary confinement under the guise of security.

Owing to repeated delays, proceedings in the case remain ongoing.