Pune Lohagarh murder case: No direct evidence who pushed Ketan into gorge, fiancé Siya may undergo polygraph test
Pune Police have sought court permission to conduct a polygraph test on Siya Goyal in the Ketan Agarwal murder case. Investigators say the test could help uncover new leads as the probe continues
Pune Lohagarh murder case: The Pune police on Thursday moved a court seeking permission to conduct a polygraph, or lie-detector, test on Siya Goyal, the main accused in the alleged murder of her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal.
According to the investigating team, there is no eyewitness or direct evidence confirming who pushed Agarwal into a gorge at Lohagad Fort. The police told the court that while statements of Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary have already been recorded, a polygraph test may help investigators gather fresh leads in the case.
The police said the examination is being sought to assist the ongoing investigation and to verify details related to the incident.
Responding to the request, Siya Goyal's lawyer, Vipul Dushing, said the investigating agency has approached the court, but several legal procedures must be completed before the test can be carried out. He also pointed out that a polygraph test cannot be conducted without the consent of the accused.
A polygraph test is generally used as an investigative tool when available evidence is limited. While it may help investigators explore new leads, its findings are not considered direct evidence in court.
The case has received widespread attention after Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 after allegedly being pushed from a cliff at Lohagad Fort. Agarwal was engaged to Siya Goyal and the couple was scheduled to get married in November.
The police allege that Goyal and her alleged partner, Chetan Chaudhary, planned the murder together. Both were arrested after the incident and are currently in police custody until July 3.
Meanwhile, investigators are also examining Ketan Agarwal's mobile phone. The police suspect the device remained with Siya Goyal for some time after the incident before it was handed over to the victim's family. Forensic experts are now checking whether any data was deleted or altered during that period.
As part of the investigation, The Pune Rural police recreated the alleged crime scene at Lohagad Fort with Chetan Chaudhary on July 1 to understand the sequence of events. A similar reconstruction was conducted earlier with Siya Goyal, during which investigators used a dummy to recreate the alleged fall from the cliff.
The police said the forensic examination of the mobile phone and other evidence remains an important part of the ongoing investigation.