Investigators probing the murder of 25-year-old Pune developer Ketan Agarwal claim to have recovered deleted Snapchat conversations that they say indicate the killing was premeditated.
According to the police, deleted Snapchat data belonging to 20-year-old Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary was recovered during the investigation. One conversation allegedly showed Siya asking a friend to send a copy of her Aadhaar card to book a flight ticket.
"Send me your Aadhaar card to book tickets for a wedding that is never going to happen," Siya allegedly wrote in a Snapchat message, according to investigators.
Police suspect Siya was deliberately trying to create the impression that she was busy making travel arrangements for her destination wedding in Rajasthan. Investigators allege the phrase "wedding that is never going to happen" points to a criminal conspiracy to kill her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal.
Police are examining whether the alleged conversation formed part of a larger strategy by Siya and Chetan to mislead investigators after Ketan was allegedly murdered at Lohagad Fort in Lonavala on June 18.
Investigators further claim that digital evidence and communications between the two accused show they used sign language and nicknames to evade surveillance and avoid detection while exchanging information after the alleged murder.
According to the police, Siya and Chetan believed investigators would either not suspect foul play in Ketan's death or would fail to gather evidence linking them to the crime. Investigators allege the two adopted several measures to conceal their identities, including wearing sweatshirts, caps and face masks.
Police also claim that Chetan left his mobile phone at different locations to prevent investigators from tracking his movements through its digital footprint. Investigators further allege that he changed his T-shirt and travelled on a scooter instead of using a four-wheeler to avoid surveillance cameras at toll plazas.
Police eventually arrested Siya and Chetan, and both were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. A local court rejected the police's request for an additional three days of custody. The court also declined the investigators' request to conduct polygraph tests after both accused refused to consent to the lie detector examination.
Investigators had sought further custody to conduct face-to-face interrogation of the accused in an attempt to decode the alleged sign language and understand the meaning of their conversations.
