Pune: As part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged murder of realtor Ketan Agarwal, Pune Police on Thursday took accused Siya Goyal to a spot in the city’s Lullanagar area where she and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary are believed to have practised pushing a person before allegedly carrying out the crime at Lohagad Fort, officials said.
Police have also approached a local court seeking permission to conduct polygraph (lie detector) tests on both Goyal and Chaudhary. A polygraph test records physiological responses such as blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing patterns and perspiration while a person answers questions related to an investigation.
Investigators also recovered the clothes that Goyal allegedly wore on June 18, the day Ketan Agarwal died, during a search of her residence in Pune’s Market Yard area, an official said.
Goyal, 20, and Chaudhary, 22, have been accused of pushing 25-year-old Agarwal off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18. Agarwal, a realtor, was engaged to Goyal, and the two were scheduled to marry in November.
Following the incident, both accused were arrested and are currently in police custody until July 3.
According to a Pune Rural Police official, the investigation has revealed that the two had allegedly rehearsed the act at a hillock-like location near a club in Lullanagar before the incident.
“Investigation has revealed that Siya and Chetan had rehearsed at a hillock-like space near a club in Lullanagar how to push Ketan off the cliff at Lohagad Fort. Today, Siya was taken to the spot, where she identified the place where they had allegedly carried out the rehearsal,” the official said.
Police believe the alleged rehearsal took place in May and said efforts are underway to establish the exact date and gather additional details.
The investigation has also yielded a substantial amount of technical and digital evidence, which is currently being analysed and cross-verified, the official added.
During a search of Goyal’s residence, investigators recovered the clothes she allegedly wore on the day of the incident at Lohagad Fort.
Meanwhile, police have filed an application before the Vadgaon Maval court seeking approval to conduct polygraph examinations on both accused.
“The court will first issue notices to the accused and record their consent before any further process. The procedure is yet to be completed,” the official told PTI.
According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary allegedly conspired to kill Agarwal because he had become an obstacle to their relationship.
On Wednesday, Pune Rural Police recreated the crime scene with Chaudhary, who is accused of participating in the conspiracy. A similar reconstruction exercise was conducted with Goyal on Sunday, during which police pushed a dummy off the cliff in her presence to recreate the sequence of events.
Police also said Ketan Agarwal’s father, Vishal Agarwal, stated in his complaint that his son had repeatedly expressed concern over Goyal’s closeness to Chaudhary, alleging that she frequently mentioned him during their conversations.
Investigators further claimed that Goyal had earlier disrupted the couple’s planned pre-wedding trip to Bali, Indonesia.
(With inputs from PTI)