Siya and boyfriend Chetan refuse lie detector test (Img: Agencies)
Pune: A court on Friday remanded Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary, the two accused in the alleged murder of realtor Ketan Agarwal, to 14 days of judicial custody after they declined to undergo a polygraph (lie detector) examination.
Following the court's order, both accused were shifted to Yerawada Central Prison.
The matter came up before Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) A.M. Vibhute, where the police sought permission to conduct a polygraph examination on the accused.
However, lawyers representing Siya and Chetan opposed the request. Taking note of their refusal, the court observed that a polygraph test cannot be conducted without the voluntary consent of the accused and declined the police's request.
During the hearing, the Lonavla Rural Police informed the court that they had recovered deleted data from the mobile phones seized from both accused.
According to investigators, the recovered data contains conversations in coded language, which they believe could indicate the involvement of a third person in the alleged conspiracy. Police said the digital evidence is currently being analysed.
Investigators also told the court that they had recovered a second mobile phone allegedly concealed by Siya Goyal. The device will now be sent for forensic examination.
The prosecution argued that decoding the alleged coded conversations could help establish whether another individual was involved in planning or executing the crime.
Assistant Police Inspector Manoj Pawar, the investigating officer, told the court that police had also verified the sequence of events narrated by Chetan Chaudhary and seized the trousers he was allegedly wearing during the incident.
Police further carried out a panchnama at the location where Siya allegedly disposed of her passport and seized the clothes she was allegedly wearing on the day of the incident. Another panchnama was conducted at a spot where the accused allegedly rehearsed the murder plan.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajshree Virkud argued that significant progress had been made during police custody and sought additional time for investigators to examine the recovered evidence.
However, Siya Goyal's lawyer, Vipul Dushing, opposed the request, arguing that both mobile phones had already been seized and that investigators should rely on forensic analysis rather than seek further custody.
Counsel for Chetan Chaudhary also objected to the police plea, contending that the request for a face-to-face interrogation lacked sufficient grounds.
