Mumbai: The Lonavala Rural Police are preparing to seek court permission to conduct polygraph tests on both accused — Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary — in the murder case of businessman Ketan Agarwal, as investigators believe several crucial facts surrounding the crime are still being concealed.
According to officials at the Lonavala Rural Police Station, the accused have allegedly withheld important information during questioning. To uncover the truth and verify their statements, the police plan to request the court’s approval for polygraph examinations.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the police on Thursday took the prime accused, Siya Goyal, to her residence to complete the panchnama (official documentation of the scene and evidence) procedure.
The police custody of both accused is scheduled to end on July 3. After the expiry of the remand period, investigators are expected to move the court seeking permission to conduct polygraph tests on Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary.
Siya Goyal and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, are accused of murdering her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort near Pune. As part of the investigation, police recreated the crime scene at the fort on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Investigators also carried out a gait analysis of Chaudhary to determine whether he was the man wearing a hoodie who was seen following Ketan and Siya shortly before the alleged murder.
Chaudhary was taken to Lohagad Fort at around 7 a.m. on Wednesday under the supervision of more than 25 police personnel, while Siya had been taken to the same location a day earlier for the reconstruction exercise.
The investigation has also revealed that Ketan Agarwal, the son of a prominent Maharashtra businessman, had grown suspicious of Siya’s alleged relationship with Chetan Chaudhary before their marriage. According to the police, Ketan had even requested his family to conduct a background check on Siya before the wedding.
Officials said Ketan’s father, in his complaint, stated that his son had repeatedly expressed concern over Siya’s closeness to Chaudhary. He reportedly told his family that Siya frequently mentioned Chaudhary during their conversations and suspected that the two were involved in a relationship. However, family members reassured him, saying that Siya’s family had long-standing ties with theirs and there was no reason for concern.
The couple had announced their engagement in February and were scheduled to marry in November. Their families had reportedly booked a palace in Jaipur for nearly Rs 17 crore and arranged two private aircraft to fly guests to the wedding.
The families had also planned a vacation to Bali a few months before the wedding, but the trip was cancelled after Ketan discovered that his passport was missing upon reaching Mumbai airport. According to Ketan’s father, Siya had deliberately taken the passport after returning to the car during a stop at a food court, causing the trip to be called off.
Police further allege that on June 14, Siya took Ketan to Lohagad Fort, where she allegedly made an unsuccessful attempt to push him off a cliff. Investigators claim Ketan managed to save himself by grabbing onto a bush. To avoid suspicion, Siya allegedly created a diversion by shouting about spotting a snake before embracing him.
After returning from the trip, Ketan again asked his father whether a proper background check on Siya had been carried out, reportedly saying that her phone was often busy whenever he tried to contact her.
According to the police, Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary allegedly carried out the murder of Ketan Agarwal on June 18.
–IANS
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