PUNE: Pune police have said that murdered realtor Ketan Agarwal’s mobile phone remained in the possession of his fiancée, Siya Goyal, for some time before she handed it over to his family, as investigators examine whether any evidence was deleted or tampered with.
Agarwal was allegedly pushed to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on 18 June. Police have accused Goyal, 20, and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, 22, of conspiring to kill him. The couple, who were due to marry in November, are in police custody until 3 July.
While seeking an extension of their custody on Monday, the prosecution told the court that investigators wanted to determine whether Goyal had deleted or destroyed any evidence from Agarwal’s phone while it was in her possession.
On Wednesday, Pune Rural Police recreated the alleged crime scene at Lohagad Fort with Chaudhary as part of the investigation. Officers retraced the sequence of events to establish his alleged role in the conspiracy.
Police had earlier conducted a similar reconstruction with Goyal on Sunday, during which a dummy was pushed from the cliff in her presence.
According to investigators, Agarwal’s phone came into Goyal’s possession after he was allegedly pushed from the cliff. She later returned the device to his family.
“We are investigating whether any crucial evidence was deleted or tampered with while the phone was in her possession,” a police official said.
Earlier, police said Agarwal’s father, Vishal Agarwal, stated in his complaint that his son had repeatedly expressed concerns about Goyal’s closeness to Chaudhary, claiming she frequently mentioned him during their conversations.
Investigators have also alleged that Goyal had earlier sabotaged the couple’s planned pre-wedding trip to Bali, Indonesia.
(With inputs from PTI)
