Pune: Days after being remanded to judicial custody, a leaked screenshot of a Snapchat conversation allegedly belonging to 20-year-old Sia Goyal, a prime accused in the murder of real estate businessman Ketan Agarwal, has gone viral on social media. According to reports, the chat shows Sia asking a friend to share photos of the front and back of an Aadhaar card under the pretext of booking wedding tickets.
What was in the message?
The leaked message was there, “Send the front and back photos of the Aadhaar card. It’s for the wedding tickets; the wedding that isn’t going to happen anyway, but send it regardless.” In response, the friend replies that the document had already been shared over WhatsApp.
What happened next?
On Friday, a Pune court sent Sia Goyal and her partner, Chetan Choudhary, to 14 days of judicial custody. The duo is accused of murdering 25-year-old real estate businessman Ketan Agarwal. On June 18, they allegedly killed him by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune. Ironically, Ketan and Sia were engaged and scheduled to get married this November.
Court rejected the police custody extension?
The Pune Rural Police actively sought an extension of the suspects’ police custody. It was argued that newly recovered encoded text messages required deeper interrogation. However, the court turned down the request, placing both accused under judicial remand until July 16. During the proceedings, Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajashree Virkud informed the court that investigators had successfully conducted a panchnama (crime scene record) at the location where Sia allegedly discarded Ketan’s passport while traveling to Mumbai. A secondary panchnama was also performed at the site where Goyal and Choudhary reportedly formulated the murder plot.
What was recovered?
Prosecutor Virkud further revealed that a secondary mobile phone belonging to Sia had been seized and dispatched to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Data from the primary phone has already been extracted, and a forensic report has been handed over to investigators. The retrieved logs contain cryptic conversations filled with nicknames and specific emojis, the contextual meaning of which can allegedly only be deciphered by the co-conspirators. The prosecution argued that keeping the suspects in police custody was vital to confront them jointly and verify the context of this digital evidence.
Defense labels probe a “Fishing Inquiry”?
Sia Goyal’s defense counsel, Vipul Dushing, strongly opposed the police custody extension, maintaining that all essential electronic devices and materials had already been secured, and that his client was fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation. Simultaneously, Chetan Choudhary’s attorney argued that the prosecution lacked substantive grounds to justify extended police custody, accusing the agency of conducting a speculative “fishing inquiry.”
Solid evidence of murder maintained?
Following the court hearing, Pune Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Sandeep Singh Gill briefed reporters, stating that key eyewitnesses present near the crime scene have now come forward. SP Sandeep Singh Gill stated, “We have already questioned several individuals as part of the investigation. A second mobile phone has been recovered, and forensic data is currently being evaluated. Details regarding financial transactions between Ketan and Sia will be disclosed at an appropriate stage. We have definitive evidence proving this was a case of murder.”
