Both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary have been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days after a local court declined the police request for an additional three days of custodial interrogation.
During the court proceedings, the police argued that further custody was necessary to conduct face-to-face interrogation of both accused in order to decipher the meaning of their coded conversations, establish the motive behind the alleged conspiracy, and determine their respective roles in the murder case.
Investigating Officer Manoj Pawar informed the court that investigators conducted an official inspection of the location where Siya Goyal was suspected of tearing Ketan Agarwal's passport. Her clothes were also seized as part of the investigation. Police further stated that an examination of Siya Goyal's second mobile phone uncovered coded conversations believed to be connected to the alleged murder conspiracy.
Investigators also requested permission to present the accused before eyewitnesses for identification and verification. However, Siya Goyal's legal counsel opposed further police custody, arguing that the investigation had not produced any new evidence warranting additional interrogation.
The issue of a narco analysis examination was also raised during the hearing. The court clarified that such a procedure cannot be conducted without the voluntary consent of the accused. Since both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary refused to provide consent, the court denied permission for the examination. The prosecution also informed the court that a narco analysis examination was not considered necessary at this stage of the investigation.
Meanwhile, investigators are also examining an alleged conversation on Snapchat between Siya Goyal and one of her friends. According to sources, the conversation purportedly shows Siya asking her friend to send a copy of her Aadhaar identity card so that a flight ticket could be booked.
According to the alleged conversation, Siya Goyal reportedly wrote, "Send me your Aadhaar card to book tickets for a wedding that is never going to happen."
Investigators are examining whether the alleged attempt to book flight tickets was part of a broader strategy to ensure that family members and others believed the wedding preparations were continuing, thereby preventing suspicion regarding the alleged murder conspiracy.
Police are also investigating whether the alleged conversation formed part of a larger effort by Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary to mislead investigators following Ketan Agarwal's death. Officials have clarified that the authenticity of the alleged Snapchat conversation and its relevance to the investigation are yet to be established, and the matter remains under investigation.
According to the First Information Report filed by Ketan Agarwal's father, Vishal Devichand Agarwal, both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary allegedly pushed Ketan Agarwal off a cliff, resulting in his death.
The complaint states that on the morning of June 18, Ketan Agarwal left his residence, picked up Siya Goyal from Kiwale Bridge on the Pune-Mumbai Highway, and travelled to Lohagad Fort. At approximately 10:45 a.m., Siya Goyal called Ketan Agarwal's mother and informed her that he had accidentally fallen into a gorge at the fort. Local residents and police personnel recovered him from the gorge and transported him to a hospital, where doctors declared him deceased.
On June 21, Ketan Agarwal's father and other family members revisited the exact location of the incident and concluded that the terrain made an accidental fall highly improbable, according to the First Information Report. Ketan Agarwal's friends, Navdeep Jindal and Tarun Mittal, accompanied the family during the inspection of the cliff.
The family further alleged that Siya Goyal's mobile phone remained continuously engaged after the incident and claimed that she repeatedly referred to her "friend" Chetan Chaudhary, leading them to suspect that the two were involved in a romantic relationship.
With the recovery of deleted digital evidence, allegations of coded communication, and multiple investigative developments now before the court, the case has become increasingly significant. As investigators continue to verify digital evidence, witness statements, and the alleged online conversations, the investigation remains ongoing and the final determination of the allegations will depend on the outcome of the judicial process.
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