Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal's mobile phone remained in the possession of his fiancee Siya Goyal for some time after his alleged murder before she handed it over to his family, police said on Wednesday, citing the investigation into the 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.
Phone Possession and Evidence Concerns
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.
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.
Crime Scene Reconstruction
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.
Background of the Case
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.
