The investigation into the death of Ketan Agarwal has uncovered deleted data from mobile phones that investigators say points to a secretive communication pattern between accused Siya Goyal and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary. According to the probe, the pair relied on sign language and used nicknames while exchanging messages in an alleged attempt to avoid surveillance after Ketan was allegedly murdered with Chetan's assistance.
A local court has remanded both accused to judicial custody for 14 days after declining the police's plea seeking an additional three days of custodial interrogation.
Investigators argued that further custody was required to question Siya and Chetan together so they could decipher the meaning of their conversations, determine the motive behind the exchanges and establish how those communications were linked to the alleged murder conspiracy.
Investigating officer Manoj Pawar informed the court that a panchnama had been carried out at the location where Siya was suspected of tearing Ketan's passport, and that her clothes had also been seized during the investigation. He said analysis of Siya's second mobile phone uncovered coded conversations. Police further sought permission to have the accused identified by eyewitnesses through a parade. Opposing the request for extended custody, Siya's lawyer contended that the investigation had not yielded any fresh material so far.
The hearing also addressed the issue of conducting a narco test. The court observed that such a test cannot be permitted without the consent of the accused. As neither Siya nor Chetan agreed to undergo the procedure, permission was denied. The prosecution also maintained that there was no requirement for a narco analysis.
An alleged Snapchat exchange involving Siya and one of her friends has also come under the scanner, sources said. Investigators claim the conversation shows her requesting a copy of her friend's Aadhaar card for booking a flight ticket. In the purported chat, Siya allegedly wrote, "Send me your Aadhaar card to book tickets for a wedding that is never going to happen," Siya allegedly said.
Police are examining whether the alleged ticket booking formed part of an effort to keep suspicion away from the alleged murder plot by creating the impression that preparations for the wedding were proceeding as planned.
Investigators are also looking into whether the purported conversation was one element of a broader strategy allegedly adopted by Siya and Chetan to mislead authorities following Ketan's death. Officials have not yet established the authenticity of the alleged Snapchat chat or its significance to the case, and the investigation is continuing.
According to the FIR lodged by Ketan's father, Vishal Devichand Agarwal, both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary pushed his son off a cliff, resulting in his death. The complaint states that Ketan left his home on the morning of June 18, picked up Siya from Kiwale bridge on the Pune-Mumbai highway and then travelled to the fort. At 10.45 am, Siya Goyal telephoned Ketan's mother and informed her that he had accidentally fallen into a gorge at Lohagad Fort. Local residents and police personnel later rescued him from the gorge and rushed him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The FIR further states that on June 21, Ketan Agarwal's father and other family members visited the site of the fall and concluded that the terrain made an accidental slip highly unlikely. His friends, Navdeep Jindal and Tarun Mittal, accompanied the family during the inspection of the cliff.
The family also alleged that Siya Goyal's phone remained continuously busy and claimed she repeatedly referred to her "friend" Chetan, leading them to suspect that the two were in a romantic relationship.
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