Pune police are actively investigating whether Siya Goyal, the fiancee of allegedly murdered realtor Ketan Agarwal, deleted or tampered with crucial evidence on his mobile phone after his death.
Key Points
- Ketan Agarwal's fiancee, Siya Goyal, was in possession of his mobile phone for some time after his alleged murder before handing it to his family.
- Police are investigating if Goyal deleted or tampered with any crucial evidence from Agarwal's phone during the period it was with her.
- The crime scene at Lohagad Fort was recreated with co-accused Chetan Chaudhary, following a similar reconstruction with Goyal.
- Agarwal's father had previously complained about Goyal's closeness to Chaudhary and her frequent mentions of his name.
- Goyal had allegedly sabotaged their planned pre-wedding trip to Bali, Indonesia.
Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal's mobile phone remained in the possession of his fiancee Siya Goyal for some time before she handed it over to his family, police said on Wednesday, citing the investigation into the alleged murder case.
Agarwal was allegedly pushed to death from a cliff at the Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18 by Goyal (20) and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary (22).
Agarwal and Goyal were set to marry in November this year.
Investigation into Evidence Tampering
Following the alleged murder, Goyal and Chaudhary were arrested and have been remanded in police custody till July 3.
Seeking an extension of the duo's police custody on Monday, the prosecution informed the court that investigators wanted to ascertain whether Goyal had deleted or destroyed any evidence from Agarwal's phone during the period the device remained with her.
Crime Scene Recreations
Meanwhile, Pune Rural police on Wednesday recreated the crime scene with co-accused Chaudhary, who allegedly played a role in the conspiracy to murder Agarwal. Police took Chaudhary to Lohgad Fort, where the sequence of events was recreated as part of the investigation, a Pune Rural police official said.
The police had conducted a similar crime scene reconstruction with Goyal on Sunday, during which a dummy was pushed off the cliff in her presence.
According to a police official, the investigation has shown that Agarwal's mobile phone came into Goyal's possession after he was allegedly pushed off the cliff at the historical site. "She later handed over the phone to his family. We are investigating whether any crucial evidence was deleted or tampered with while the phone was in her possession," he added.
Previous Concerns and Sabotage Allegations
Earlier, police had said that Ketan Agarwal's father Vishal Agarwal mentioned in his complaint that his son had repeatedly voiced concerns about Goyal's closeness to Chaudhary, saying she often mentioned the latter's name in their conversations.
According to police, Goyal had earlier sabotaged their planned pre-wedding trip to Bali, Indonesia.
