Lohagad Fort murder: Police to conduct gait analysis of second accused

Pune Rural Police are set to conduct a gait analysis of the second accused in the Lohagad Fort murder case on Tuesday as part of efforts to reconstruct the movements leading up to the alleged killing of real estate businessman Ketan Agarwal.

The analysis will focus on accused Chetan Babulal Chaudhary and is intended to establish how and where he moved on the day Ketan Agarwal was allegedly murdered at Lohagad Fort on 18 June.

Investigators will also take Chaudhary to the crime scene to recreate the sequence of events and recover the trousers he is believed to have been wearing on the day of the incident. He has been brought to the Lonavala Rural Police Station ahead of the exercise.

On Monday, the Vadgaon Maval court granted Pune Rural Police five additional days' custody of Chaudhary and co-accused Siya Goyal.

Seeking an extension of custody, police told the court that several aspects of the investigation remain incomplete. These include reconstructing the crime scene with both accused present, tracing Chaudhary's movements after the incident, examining phone conversations exchanged following the alleged murder and recovering evidence related to the destruction of Ketan Agarwal's passport.

According to investigators, Siya Goyal allegedly stole, tore and burnt Ketan Agarwal's passport while the family was travelling to Mumbai airport for a planned pre-wedding trip to Bali.

Police believe the passport was deliberately destroyed to prevent the couple from travelling together. The trip was cancelled after Agarwal discovered the passport was missing at the airport.

Investigators have also cited the statement of the driver, who claimed Siya Goyal briefly returned alone to the parked vehicle during the journey and allegedly removed certain belongings.

Police had earlier recreated the alleged sequence of events at Lohagad Fort on 28 June using a dummy after temporarily closing the site to visitors.

The case was initially treated as an accidental fall after Agarwal plunged into a 400-foot gorge. However, investigators now allege that he was pushed from the cliff by Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary, who were allegedly in a relationship and viewed him as an obstacle.

Police also claim the two accused exchanged more than 2,000 phone calls over six months, speaking for nearly 238 hours, which investigators believe forms part of the alleged conspiracy.

The investigation has further revealed an alleged earlier attempt on Agarwal's life. Police claim Siya Goyal tried to push him off the same fort during a previous visit, but he survived after grabbing hold of a bush. Investigators allege she later claimed she had only tried to save him after spotting a snake nearby.

With IANS inputs