MUMBAI: A fresh twist has emerged in the Pune fort murder case, with WhatsApp chats recovered by police allegedly revealing that accused Siya Goyal and her boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary, had secretly married before her engagement to 25-year-old realtor Ketan Agarwal.
Notably, Goyal (20) and Chaudhary (22) are accused of pushing Agarwal to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18.
Agarwal and Goyal were set to marry in November this year.
The investigation has uncovered what police describe as a fresh lead after forensic examination of the accused's mobile phones allegedly revealed WhatsApp chats suggesting Goyal had secretly married Chaudhary before her engagement to Agarwal.
Police suspect the couple concealed the alleged marriage from their families as Goyal's engagement to Agarwal went ahead. The marriage is believed to have taken place nearly four months before Agarwal's death.
"Analysis of chats exchanged between Siya and Chetan indicates that they had secretly married. There are unconfirmed reports also about their marriage. We are verifying this claim and also checking whether the marriage was legally registered," an official from the Pune Rural Police said.
Investigators believe the conversations may provide further insight into the relationship between the accused and their alleged plot to kill Agarwal.
Police have not made any official statement on these alleged revelations, but are verifying the authenticity of the recovered digital evidence and examining whether the alleged marriage had any direct connection with the suspected conspiracy behind the crime.
Police are also trying to determine the nature of the alleged marriage, including whether it was solemnised through a court marriage, a temple ceremony or any other form.
Investigators are analysing the conversations to identify others who may have knowledge of the alleged marriage and the suspected conspiracy.
They are also trying to establish who may have acted as witnesses if it was a court marriage and are attempting to trace the priests who allegedly solemnised the marriage. Police are reviewing the couple's chats from the past six months as part of the investigation.
According to investigators, Siya and Chetan conducted extensive research before allegedly killing Agarwal.
Police claimed they drew on crime-based web series, podcasts, videos and studies of murder cases across India while preparing digital notes intended to minimise suspicion and evade arrest.
According to investigators, the accused allegedly concluded that using a weapon would increase the chances of leaving evidence and being detected. Police said Siya told investigators they therefore decided to kill Agarwal by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala.
Although the incident was initially believed to be an accident, the investigation subsequently led police to register a murder case and arrest Goyal and Chaudhary. Both accused are currently in 14 days judicial custody as the investigation continues.