Fresh details in the investigation into the murder of Ketan Agarwal have revealed that the two prime accused — his fiance, Siya Goyal, and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary — allegedly carried out a rehearsal before the killing. Pune police said the pair practiced pushing Ketan off a cliff at a hill in Pune's Lulla Nagar before executing the plan.
Ketan Agarwal, 26, was allegedly pushed to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune by Siya, 20, and Chetan, 22. Both accused remain in police custody until July 3 while the investigation continues.
Investigators identified the rehearsal site on a hill located a short distance from Siya's residence, 'Leela Kunj', in Pune's Market Yard area. Earlier, police had taken Siya to her home, where they recovered the clothes she allegedly wore on June 18, the day of the incident. She was subsequently escorted to the hilltop location where the alleged practice session took place.
According to investigators, the conspiracy to kill Ketan was allegedly planned in Lulla Nagar, in Sector-37 of Pune.
"The investigation has revealed that Siya and Chetan had rehearsed at an open space near a club in Lulla Nagar 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," a Pune Rural police official told the news agency PTI.
Police had earlier recreated the crime scene with Siya on Sunday, during which a dummy was pushed off the cliff in her presence.
A second reconstruction exercise was conducted three days later, on Wednesday, with Chetan. During the exercise, police took the co-accused to Lohagad Fort and recreated the sequence of events linked to the alleged murder, a Pune Rural police official said.
Investigators have now approached the court seeking permission to conduct lie detector (polygraph) tests on both accused as part of the probe into Ketan Agarwal's murder. Police intend to compare and verify the statements made by the suspects using the findings from the examination, which they believe could provide crucial insights into the case.
Earlier findings in the investigation indicated that Siya and Chetan had searched online for methods to kill Ketan. Police said the two had visited Lohagad Fort by themselves before the incident to "rehearse" the murder. Investigators also found that they had prepared and practiced responses they would give if questioned by the police.
According to the investigation, the accused had also planned to disguise themselves while carrying out the murder to avoid attracting suspicion.
Sources said Chetan travelled to Lohagad Fort on a scooter to avoid generating electronic toll records and to reduce the chances of being captured on CCTV cameras. After the incident, he allegedly rode the same scooter back to Pune in an attempt to evade investigators. Police have since seized the vehicle.
During the trek to the fort, Chetan allegedly wore a hoodie to conceal his identity. Investigators said the unusual choice of clothing in 33-degree Celsius weather ultimately drew attention and helped police identify him.
Police believe the accused had finalised the alleged murder plot several weeks earlier, reportedly by the end of May.
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