The two accused in the Ketan Agarwal murder case, Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary, were produced before a court, where police sought an extension of their custody to further the investigation.
The matter was heard by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) AM Vibhute. Appearing for the prosecution, advocate Rajshree Virkud informed the court that investigators had recovered a year-old mobile phone from Siya Goyal’s residence. She also said deleted data had been retrieved from the accused’s current mobile phone.
Recovered Chats Reveal Code Words, Nicknames
According to the prosecution, the recovered chats contain several code words and nicknames, making further interrogation of the accused necessary to decode the conversations and complete the investigation.
Government prosecutor Advocate Vipul Dusing told the court that police had cited five grounds for seeking an extension of custody. He argued that confronting the accused with the recovered digital evidence and questioning them about the alleged coded conversations would significantly aid the investigation.
Defence Argues Police Conducting ‘Fishing Inquiry’
The defence opposed the plea, arguing that police were conducting a “fishing inquiry” in the hope of discovering fresh evidence. It contended that after 12 days of police custody, further remand could not be granted without any substantial new grounds.
The defence also argued that the accused could not be compelled to explain the alleged code words and nicknames used in the chats, claiming such a direction would violate the protection against self-incrimination guaranteed under Article 20 of the Constitution.
The prosecution, however, maintained that additional custody was essential to complete pending aspects of the investigation and would directly assist the probe.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its order on the police’s plea for extended custody. It subsequently directed that Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary be remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
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