The chilling 'wedding' that never was: Inside the Siya Goyal digital trail

A viral Snapchat message has opened a grim window into the alleged planning behind the murder of a Pune realtor, as investigators decode a web of cryptic digital evidence.

The investigation into the death of 25-year-old realtor Ketan Agarwal has taken a sinister turn with the emergence of a Snapchat screenshot that is now circulating widely online. The message, sent by 20-year-old Siya Goyal to a friend, requested the front and back images of an Aadhaar card for "wedding ticket bookings." The chilling postscript—"for a wedding that was never going to happen"—has become the focal point of public speculation after the tragic events at Lohagad Fort.

Ketan Agarwal, who was engaged to marry Goyal this November, was allegedly pushed to his death from a cliff on June 18. Following the incident, Pune police arrested Goyal and her alleged lover, 22-year-old Chetan Chaudhary. The pair are currently in judicial custody until July 16, after a local court rejected a plea from the prosecution to extend their police remand.

Decoding the digital breadcrumbs

During the court proceedings, Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajashree Virkud underscored the importance of the digital evidence retrieved from the accused. Investigators have already conducted a panchnama at the site where the suspects allegedly rehearsed the crime, as well as the location where Goyal is said to have disposed of Agarwal’s passport.

The prosecution maintains that the recovered mobile data is key to the case. According to Virkud, the phones contained coded language, nicknames, and emojis that require further explanation from the accused. A second phone belonging to Goyal has been sent to the forensic science laboratory for deeper analysis, as officials attempt to map the timeline of the alleged conspiracy against the backdrop of their upcoming wedding plans.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing reliance of law enforcement on "digital footprints" in criminal investigations. In an era where even the most calculated conspiracies leave a trail of metadata, the intersection of social media communication and violent crime is becoming increasingly common. The "wedding" message, whether a reckless aside or a calculated piece of misdirection, serves as a grim reminder of how private digital exchanges are being repurposed as central pieces of state evidence in modern Indian courtrooms.

For the investigators, the challenge lies in stripping away the irony and coded vernacular of youth-centric platforms like Snapchat to establish a clear intent. As the legal process unfolds, the scrutiny on the relationship between the accused and the victim will only intensify, shifting the narrative from a sudden tragedy to a pre-planned act of betrayal.