A court in Pune on Friday sent Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the alleged murder of realtor Ketan Agarwal. The two accused appeared before Judicial Magistrate First Class A.M. Vibhute after the completion of their police remand.
During the hearing, the prosecution sought an additional three days of police custody, stating that investigators had recovered mobile phone conversations containing coded language and symbolic references. According to the prosecution, further interrogation was necessary to decode the chats and establish their relevance to the case.
Lawyers representing the accused opposed the request, arguing that the investigating agency had already been granted sufficient time to question their clients and that extending police custody was unnecessary.
After considering the submissions from both sides, the court declined the prosecution's plea and ordered that Goyal and Chaudhary remain in judicial custody until July 16.
The two accused, aged 20 and 22 respectively, are alleged to have murdered Agarwal by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18. Agarwal was engaged to Goyal, and the couple was reportedly scheduled to marry later this year.
Earlier in the day, Pune Rural Police took Goyal to her residence and several other locations as part of the ongoing investigation. While leaving her home under police escort, she was seen making an obscene gesture towards media personnel gathered outside. Videos of the incident quickly circulated across social media platforms. Police have not commented on the episode, stating that their priority remains the investigation into Agarwal's death.
Investigators are also examining the possible involvement of a third individual. According to sources, the man, believed to be a classmate of Chaudhary and currently employed by a private firm in Pune's Balewadi area, may have been aware of the alleged plan before the incident.
Police suspect that Goyal and Chaudhary had discussed the alleged conspiracy with him and had invited him to accompany them to Lohagad Fort on the day of the incident. However, he reportedly did not join them. Investigators are questioning him to determine what he knew and whether he played any role in the events leading up to the crime.
Sources indicated that the man told investigators he had discouraged the accused from carrying out their alleged plan. Police are now analysing call records, chat histories and other digital evidence to verify whether he remained in contact with the accused before or after Agarwal's death.
Investigators are also examining claims that Chaudhary met the individual shortly after the incident, while Goyal allegedly contacted him later. These interactions are being verified through technical evidence and electronic records.
As part of the probe, police recently took Goyal to another location in Pune where they believe she and Chaudhary rehearsed the alleged crime weeks before Agarwal's death. Officials said the site is located near a club in the Lullanagar area, where Goyal reportedly pointed out the place during the reconstruction exercise.
The investigation team is attempting to determine when the alleged rehearsal took place and whether any additional individuals were present.
Meanwhile, Pune Rural Police have approached the Vadgaon Maval court seeking approval to conduct polygraph examinations on both accused. Investigators said the tests can proceed only if the court grants permission and the accused voluntarily agree to undergo them.
Police believe the examinations could help assess the consistency of the statements made by the accused with the evidence gathered during the investigation.
Officials have also recovered clothing from Goyal's residence that is suspected to have been worn on the day of the incident. The garments will undergo forensic examination as part of the evidence collection process.
The investigation has so far involved the analysis of mobile phone data, location information, call detail records, chat histories and other digital evidence as authorities work to reconstruct the sequence of events surrounding Agarwal's death.