- Siya Goyal consented to a polygraph test related to her fiancé's murder case
- She and Chetan Chaudhary rehearsed pushing Ketan Agarwal off Lohagad Fort cliff
- Clothes worn by Goyal on June 18 were recovered from her Pune residence
Siya Goyal has given her consent to undergo a polygraph test in connection with the murder of her fiance, realtor Ketan Agarwal, who was pushed to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra.
The consent of the accused is a legal requirement for such tests. Goyal's lawyer, Vipul Dusing, said that on Thursday the 20-year-old gave her consent to the Lonavala Rural Police.
Police took Goyal to a site in Pune on Thursday morning where she and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, had rehearsed how to push Agarwal off the cliff, police said. Pune police have also approached the court seeking permission to conduct polygraph tests on both Goyal and 22-year-old Chaudhary.
A polygraph test, commonly known as a lie detector test, measures physiological responses such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration and sweat levels while the subject answers questions about the incident.
Clothes allegedly worn by Goyal on June 18, the day of the incident, were recovered during a search at her residence in the Market Yard area of Pune. Goyal and Chaudhary are accused of pushing 25-year-old Agarwal from the cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18.
Agarwal and Goyal had been due to marry in November this year. The pair was arrested after the incident and remain in police custody until July 3.
"Investigation has revealed that Siya and Chetan had rehearsed at a hillock-like space near a club in Lullanagar how to push Ketan off the cliff at Lohagad Fort," a Pune Rural Police official said. "Today, Siya was taken to the spot, where she identified the place where they had allegedly carried out the rehearsal."
The rehearsal took place in May. Police are continuing to establish the exact date and further details.
"We have also collected substantial amount of technical and digital data, which is currently being analysed and cross-verified," the official added.
Police are using polygraph tests to identify who pushed Agarwal to his death from a 400-foot gorge, as no eyewitnesses were present. The tests aim to establish the truth of conflicting accounts from Goyal and co-accused Chaudhary, who are blaming each other for the fatal act.
Investigators want to verify whether Goyal gave a pre-arranged signal to enable the attack, the extent of planning discussed at a cafe the day before the murder, and details of three alleged failed attempts and rehearsals at a nearby hill.The examination will also examine if Siya deleted evidence from Chaudhary's phone while it was in her possession, and clarify her reluctance to marry him and her relationship with Chaudhary.
