Investigators in the murder of 25-year-old Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal have discovered that suspects Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary allegedly employed code words during their exchanges. On Friday, police seized a second mobile phone from Siya as part of the inquiry.
Siya, aged 20, and Chetan, aged 22, face charges of plotting and causing Ketan’s death by pushing him from a cliff at Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18. Siya first described the event as an accident but later both admitted involvement. Officers are working to interpret the coded messages sent between the pair before and after the incident.
Investigating officer Manoj Pawar stated that further inquiry showed Siya and Chetan used code words whose meaning remains unclear. Police had earlier told a Pune court that one phone each was taken from the suspects after arrest, but a second device belonging to Siya was later recovered and may clarify the coded talks.
Public prosecutor Virkud noted that phone data was obtained only recently and that further questioning of the accused is needed. The prosecution said only Siya and Chetan can explain the code words and requested more time for direct interrogation.
Chetan’s lawyer Uttarkar opposed the request, claiming police sought extended custody on similar grounds as before without new developments. The court rejected the plea for longer police remand and sent both to judicial custody for 14 days until July 16.
Police will now review the newly seized phone and other digital records to reconstruct events leading to the killing.
