Dexter is a television drama that aired for eight seasons from 2006 to 2013.
Aftab Ameen Poonawala, who allegedly killed his live-in girlfriend Shraddha Walkar in Delhi, was "inspired" by the American crime show 'Dexter', as per investigators. The Delhi Police revealed that the 28-year-old on May 18 strangled his partner after a fight and chopped her body into 35 pieces. He then bought a 300-litre fridge to store the parts, and for the next 18 days, he went out late at night to dispose of the body parts one by one, at different spots across the capital city.
The police revealed that the entire case had elements from the fictional stories in the show 'Dexter'. They said Aftab was allegedly inspired by the show's main character, Dexter Morgan, played by Micheal C Hall, who is shown to have homicidal tendencies.
Now, as the details of the gruesome crime have left the entire nation in shock, it makes sense to delve into the American crime series.
What is the show 'Dexter' about?
Dexter is a television drama that aired for eight seasons from October 1, 2006, to September 22, 2013. The plot of the show revolves around the character of Dexter Morgan, who leads a double life. In the morning he works as a forensic technician specialising in bloodstain pattern analysis for the fictional Miami Metro Police Department and at night he leads a secret life as a vigilante serial killer, hunting down murderers who have not been punished due to the failure of the legal system.
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According to IMDB's description, "He (Dexter Morgan) is smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Moran". In the show, Dexter's modus operandi involves cutting his victim's bodies, placing the dismembered parts inside black garbage bags and then dumping them into an ocean.
How did the show inspire Aftab?
As per Delhi Police, the day after the 28-year-old allegedly killed Shraddha Walkar, he purchased a saw and refrigerator, allegedly taking inspiration from the American crime series. He then cut her body into 35 pieces and then kept the parts in small black poly bags.
The cops said that Aftab was adept at using meat knives as he was trained as a chef. They also revealed that after searching on Google, he cleaned blood stains from the floor with some chemicals and disposed of the stained clothes.
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Sources said Aftab used to sleep in the same room where he had chopped the victim's body. He used to see the face after keeping it in the fridge and also cleaned the fridge after disposing of the body parts.
During interrogation, Aftab confessed to the crime and said that they fought often as Shraddha was pressurizing him for marriage. Police also recovered some bones from Aftab's rented flat and officials said efforts are on to recover the remaining parts of the body.