In a new twist in the investigation into the alleged murder of 25-year-old Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary, police on Friday questioned a youth from Maharashtra’s Beed district on suspicion of participating in a discussion held by the accused about the murder plot.
Ketan Agarwal died after falling from a cliff during a trekking trip with his fiancée Siya Goyal, 20, at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala on June 18. The death was initially reported to be accidental, but later saw a shocking development after police interrogation raised suspicions about Sia Goyal and eventually a ‘confession’ from her to the murder of her fiancé.
The exact motive behind the alleged crime is still under investigation, with multiple theories – most surrounding Sia’s alleged reluctance to marry – emerging during the investigation, one of which is that she was unhappy with Ketan wearing a wig.
Young bees in focus
Police suspect that accused Sia Goyal and her alleged boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary, discussed their plan to eliminate Agarwal with a youth from Beed, a former colleague of Chaudhary’s who currently works in a private company in Balwadi in Pune, HT had earlier reported.
They also reportedly invited him to accompany them to Lohagad Fort on June 18, the day Ketan was allegedly driven into the valley.
However, the young man is said to have declined the invitation and allegedly advised the duo against such an act. Police are verifying this allegation as part of an ongoing investigation.
Investigators found that the young man had been in regular contact with Chetan since the last week of May.
The police are now examining the trio’s call detail records, digital conversations and other electronic evidence to determine the sequence of events.
“The investigation is at the preliminary level. After analyzing the chats and call logs, it was found that the youth was in contact with the accused. We are interrogating him and will take necessary steps accordingly,” said Dinesh Tayadi, senior police inspector at Lonavala Rural Police Station.
View lie detector test
A Pune court on Friday remanded Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary for 14 days after rejecting the prosecution’s request to extend their police custody.
The court also rejected the request of the Pune Rural Police to subject the accused to lie detector tests after the defense opposed the move.
The investigating agency has sought permission to conduct polygraph tests on Goyal and Chaudhary as part of its probe into Agarwal’s death. But defense lawyers objected to the request, explaining that the examinations could not continue without the consent of the accused.
The accused were produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) AM Vibhute at Wadgaon Maval after their police remand period ended on Friday.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajshree Perkod sought an extension of police custody by three days, claiming that the data recovered from Goyal and Chaudhary’s mobile phones contained conversations with encrypted gestures and language. Investigators argued that further custodial interrogation was necessary to decrypt the conversations and advance the investigation, according to an earlier HT report.
However, the lawyer representing the accused opposed this petition, arguing that the police had already been given sufficient time to investigate the case and that any further questioning while in custody was not justified.
After hearing both sides, the court rejected the prosecution’s request and ordered the accused to be detained until July 16.
