PUNE: Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice to a spice and dry fruits shop owned by the family of Siya Goyal, accused in the murder of Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal, asking it to halt operations over alleged norm violations, officials said.
Siya Goyal's father, Praveen Goyal, told reporters on Thursday that he was cooperating with the investigation into the murder case, but alleged that he and his family were being unnecessarily harassed.
The businessman also said his daughter should face the death sentence if found guilty.
Siya Goyal (20) and her boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary (22) are accused of pushing her fiancé Agarwal (25) off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18 during a trek, leading to his death.
The shop located at Market Yard in the heart of Pune city is operated by M/s BG Goyal and Company, a firm owned by the family of Siya Goyal, who is currently in jail.
Following an inspection by the FDA, the shop has been asked to stop business operations until further orders, officials said on Wednesday.
The action was taken after the firm was found to have not complied with certain mandatory provisions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, the regulatory authority said.
According to the FDA, its officials inspected the establishment and collected four samples of food products, including turmeric powder of 'Sant' and 'Sadhu' brands, sesame seeds and soybean chunks.
A stock of 4,172 kg of these products, valued at Rs 8.14 lakh, was seized during the inspection due to suspected contravention in labelling and possible adulteration, the FDA said.
The establishment had also failed to make necessary corrections in its license details, it stated.
"Considering the violations, a notice has been issued directing the firm to stop its business activities until further orders," an official said.
Praveen Goyal said a team of FDA officials visited his shop on Tuesday and collected four samples of turmeric powder, soya chunks and sesame seeds.
"These products are of reputed brands, and I have all the purchase bills," he said.
Apart from collecting the samples, the officials had also pointed out certain licensing-related issues concerning his shop, Praveen Goyal said.
"Those issues will be resolved in the next few days. Until then, I have been asked to halt operations and am complying with the authorities' directions," he said.
Asked about the investigation into the murder case, Goyal said if his daughter was found guilty, she should be awarded the death penalty. "If Siya is guilty, she should be hanged," he stated.
Siya's father, however, alleged that he and his family were being subjected to unnecessary harassment.
"I am fully cooperating with the investigation and stand by the law. But people should stop floating baseless theories and tormenting us. My family feels it is being harassed for no reason," he added.
Meanwhile, a Crime Branch team visited Rajasthan as part of the probe into Agarwal's murder after it came to light that Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary visited the desert state in December last year.
The police did not provide further details.
They earlier said that analysis of some chats exchanged between Goyal and Chaudhary indicated they had secretly married at a temple in Rajasthan.
"A police team visited the temple and checked if any CCTV footage was available to confirm their marriage. However, nothing was found," a Pune rural police official said.