PUNE: A shoelace-tying signal, a meeting at a Pune café, a 90-km scooter ride to avoid toll cameras, a change of clothes on the fort and alleged practice runs at the crime scene — cops say every step of the plan to murder Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal was carefully thought out.Pune Rural Police on Sunday revealed fresh details of the alleged conspiracy involving Agarwal’s fiancée, Siya Goyal (20), and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary (22), who have been arrested for allegedly pushing the 25-year-old realtor off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18.According to investigators, the conspiracy was allegedly finalised during a meeting at a café in Pune’s Lullanagar area a day before the murder. CCTV footage from the café has been recovered and forms part of the evidence, police said.On the day of the crime, Goyal was to signal Chaudhary by sitting down, either on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces. That was the cue for Chaudhary, who had been following the couple, to come forward and allegedly push Agarwal into the gorge, as reported by news agency PTI.
Police said the signal was chosen not just to alert Chaudhary but also to keep Goyal out of danger.“They deliberately decided that Siya would sit down so she would not be within Ketan’s reach during the push. They feared he could instinctively grab her while falling, which could pull her into the gorge as well. The plan was made keeping her safety in mind,” an investigating officer said.Investigators also said Chaudhary took unusual precautions to avoid leaving a trail. Instead of travelling by car, he allegedly rode a scooter nearly 90 km from Pune to Lohagad Fort because he feared a car could be captured by toll plaza cameras.“He chose a scooter over a car to avoid toll records. We have seized the vehicle used for the journey,” a police officer associated with the investigation said.Police further said Chaudhary changed his appearance after reaching the fort. He allegedly climbed wearing a hoodie, removed it before the crime and remained in a black T-shirt, before putting the hoodie back on while leaving. Investigators believe the change was intended to make identification more difficult.The probe has also revealed that the accused had visited Lohagad Fort before the murder to scout locations and identify the most suitable spot. They allegedly carried out practice runs before executing the plan, though police are still trying to determine where those rehearsals took place.On Sunday, investigators took Goyal to Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the crime using a dummy and establish the precise sequence of events leading to Agarwal’s death.Agarwal and Goyal got engaged on February 19 and were scheduled to marry later this year. Police suspect Goyal, who was allegedly in a relationship with Chaudhary since October last year, did not want to go ahead with the marriage.Both accused were arrested on June 23 and have been in police custody. Investigators are expected to seek an extension of their remand as the probe continues.In the aftermath of the killing, the Maharashtra government approved a fast-track trial and appointed senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Public Prosecutor after Agarwal’s family sought speedy justice from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.(With PTI inputs)
