PUNE: Police investigating the Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal murder case will conduct a “gait analysis” of accused Chetan Chaudhary and compare CCTV footage capturing his movements at Lohagad Fort with a recreated video, a court was informed on Monday.Police also highlighted the need to probe several aspects, including the exact spot of the crime at the fort and the missing passport of the victim, while seeking an extension of custody of Chaudhary and his lover, Siya Goyal, Agarwal’s fiancée. The court extended their police custody till July 3.Police will conduct gait analysis on Chetain Chaudhary to confirm his presence around the scene of the crime (Lohagad Fort) and build a watertight case against him and his alleged girlfriend.
What is ‘gait analysis’
- Systematic study of human movement, especially walking or running
- Frame-by-frame examination of body movement
- Identification of unique patterns (gait signature)
Factors under consideration:
- Posture
- Stride length
- Hand movement
- Head tilt
- Weight distribution
- Foot angle
Goyal (20) and Chaudhary (22) were arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill Agarwal (25) and pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18.A police official said gait analysis is the study of a person’s walking pattern and is used to identify suspects from CCTV footage by comparing distinctive characteristics such as stride length, posture and limb movements.In the Agarwal murder case, Pune Rural Police are planning to compare CCTV footage showing Chaudhary’s movements at the fort with a recreated video.According to police, the analysis became necessary as Chaudhary allegedly wore a hoodie to cover his face and conceal his identity on the day of the crime.Police will recreate the CCTV sequence by making Chaudhary wear a similar hoodie and walk at the same spot on the fort in a similar manner.“We are planning to conduct a gait analysis of Chaudhary. We have CCTV footage showing him walking while wearing a hoodie to hide his face. The gait analysis will compare his locomotion in the CCTV footage with the recreated video to determine whether the walking patterns match,” a police official said.Earlier on Monday, Chaudhary and Goyal were produced before the court of A M Vibhute in Vadgaon Maval after their initial police custody ended.The prosecution told the court that the investigation had shown that the duo had visited the fort to identify the spot where Agarwal was allegedly pushed off the cliff.“Police want to question both the accused on this aspect, and hence the extension of custody is needed,” said Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajashri Virkud.She told the court that the accused had repeatedly met at various locations to hatch the murder conspiracy and police wanted to investigate the matter in detail.“The accused deleted digital data that constitutes crucial evidence; the process of recovering this data is currently underway. Once retrieved, this data will serve as the basis for a thorough interrogation of the accused,” the court was told.A reconstruction of the sequence of events, based on Goyal’s statement, was conducted on June 28. The sequence of events now needs to be verified with Chaudhary, the prosecution said.“During the incident, both the accused interacted with certain individuals at Lohagad Fort. Based on CCTV footage obtained, a thorough investigation regarding the crime needs to be conducted with the accused in the context of these interactions,” the prosecution added.The prosecution told the judge that Goyal did not want to travel to Bali with Agarwal for a pre-wedding shoot. She allegedly removed his passport from his bag and discarded it somewhere at Khalapur food mall in Raigad district during their journey from Pune to Mumbai.“Therefore, the deceased’s passport needs to be located and recovered with the assistance of Goyal,” the prosecution said.It further stated that some important witnesses had recently come forward during the investigation and they would be confronted with the accused, with their statements being verified.Advocate Vipul Dushing, representing Goyal, argued before the court that her arrest was illegal and without any valid grounds.Chaudhary’s lawyer, Ram Shahane, said his client’s role in the FIR was very limited and undefined.Meanwhile, a drama unfolded on the court premises when an advocate who identified himself as Aashutosh Shrivastav claimed that he would be representing Goyal.He presented his vakalatnama with a purported signature of Goyal before the court. However, Goyal and her family informed the court that Vipul Dushing was representing her.Earlier on Sunday, police took Goyal to Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the crime scene using a human-sized dummy.According to police, Goyal sat down to signal Chaudhary to push Agarwal off the cliff.Chaudhary had also travelled to the historical site on a scooter, avoiding a car because he feared it could be detected at a toll plaza, police said on Sunday.“He climbed the fort wearing a hoodie. Later, he removed it and remained in a black T-shirt. While leaving, he put on the hoodie again,” the official said, adding that investigators believe it was done to avoid attracting attention.After allegedly committing the crime, Chaudhary returned to Pune on the same scooter, the official said.Police had last week questioned Goyal’s parents and brother at length and recorded their statements.(With agency inputs)
