A Pune district court on Monday granted an extension of police custody for Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary until July 3 in connection with the murder of realtor Ketan Agarwal. The decision was made after investigators informed the court that essential digital evidence remained unrecovered and various aspects of the alleged conspiracy were still under scrutiny.

Judicial Magistrate First Class A M Vibhute rendered the ruling after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence. The initial period of police custody for Goyal and Chaudhary had just ended on that day. Goyal, aged 20 and reportedly the victim’s fiancée, alongside Chaudhary, aged 22, has been accused of conspiring to murder 25-year-old Agarwal by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18.

Prosecution Emphasises Need for Digital Evidence Recovery

The prosecution emphasised the necessity for further custody by stating that investigators are currently tracing deleted digital evidence and reconstructing the purported conspiracy. The lead investigator, Manoj Pawar, informed the court that the accused had been meeting at various locations to plan the alleged crime.

During the court session, Pawar asserted, “Important digital data linked to the offence has been deleted and needs to be recovered.” Furthermore, police mentioned that they had reconstructed the crime scene with Goyal and intended to conduct a similar exercise with Chaudhary. The prosecution also highlighted that Chaudhary had interacted with individuals at the fort prior to the murder, which warranted further questioning.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajashri Virkud stated that the police were attempting to recover Agarwal’s passport, which they alleged Goyal had destroyed by tearing it up and disposing of it in a food mall near Khopoli during a trip on June 6. Authorities are examining the social media activity of both accused and reviewing call records to explore the possibility of other individuals being involved in the murder’s planning.

Details of Alleged Premeditation and Defence Opposition

The prosecution claimed to have uncovered evidence indicating that Goyal and Chaudhary had previously visited Lohagad Fort to select an appropriate location for the crime and rehearse the act. Investigators are now focused on identifying the specific locations where these rehearsals had taken place.

Earlier, police had performed a crime scene reconstruction at the fort using a dummy, which they claimed aided in establishing the sequence of events leading up to the alleged murder. They stated that Goyal’s sitting down during the trek was a signal for Chaudhary to execute the push, a tactic purportedly designed to keep Goyal out of reach during Agarwal’s fall.

Chaudhary reportedly travelled nearly 90 kilometres to the fort on a scooter to evade toll plaza surveillance and changed clothes upon arrival to avoid drawing attention. These details further strengthened the prosecution’s assertion of a premeditated conspiracy.

Arguments Presented by the Defence Counsel

The counsel representing Goyal, advocate Vipul Dushing, contested the extension of police custody, labelling her arrest as unlawful. He presented multiple court rulings to substantiate his claim, arguing that the legal standards for arrest had not been met.

He asserted that Goyal had fully cooperated with the investigation, noting that the investigating officer had never mentioned a lack of cooperation from her side. Dushing questioned the necessity for further custody, pointing out that Agarwal’s phone had already been submitted, and digital evidence had been seized.

Chaudhary’s lawyer, Ram Shahane, also opposed the prosecution’s request, describing the rationale behind seeking additional custody as “frivolous.” He indicated that significant items had already been seized in earlier remand periods, arguing that the further custody was unnecessary. Following the discussions from both sides, the court ultimately decided to extend the custody of Goyal and Chaudhary until July 3, allowing investigators to continue their work.

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