Pune: Investigation in the Ketan Agarwal murder case has revealed that Siya Goyal and her boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary, had searched online for ways to kill him before executing the plan at Lohagad Fort on June 18.
According to the police, a forensic examination of the accused's mobile phones revealed that Goyal and Chaudhary had searched the internet for methods to kill a person in the days leading up to the incident.
"The investigation indicates that the murder was planned in advance. Their digital footprint, including internet searches and communication records, forms a crucial part of the evidence," Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill was quoted as saying by HT.
Calls reveal close contact
Investigators examined records of 2,004 calls exchanged between Siya and Chetan between January and June this year. The analysis revealed that they spent a cumulative 238 hours talking to each other over the six months.
Notably, Ketan and Siya had got engaged in February and were scheduled to marry later this year.
Meeting before the incident
Probe has also revealed that Goyal and Chaudhary had met at a cafe on the day of the incident and discussed the plan to eliminate Agarwal, police said.
Police suspect the conspiracy was finalised on June 16 and 17. According to investigators, Goyal took Agarwal to Lohagad Fort on the pretext of celebrating her birthday, while Chaudhary had already reached the location and was waiting nearby.
Police said internet on Chaudhary’s device remained switched off from around 7 am to 5.40 pm on June 18. He allegedly left his own phone at his shop and took an employee’s mobile phone to avoid location tracking.
CCTV footage from the fort area led to a key breakthrough in the case. Investigators spotted a man wearing a hoodie despite the scorching heat, following Agarwal and Goyal shortly before the incident, which raised suspicion. After analysing footage and social media photographs, police identified the man as Chaudhary.
Possible motive for crime
According to investigators, the motive behind the alleged crime was Goyal’s relationship with Chaudhary and her reluctance to go ahead with her planned marriage to Agarwal.
