'Sitting down': Hidden signal Siya gave Chetan before he pushed Ketan into gorge; police reveal plot

NEW DELHI: Investigators probing the murder of 26-year-old realtor Ketan Agarwal have alleged that his fiancée, Siya Goyal, gave a pre-arranged signal to her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, to push Agarwal off Lohagad Fort by simply sitting down.According to police, the duo had carefully planned the murder so that Goyal would not be standing close to the victim at the time of the attack. Officers said they feared Agarwal might instinctively grab her while falling into the gorge, putting her life at risk.”The signal was chosen deliberately so that Goyal would remain out of the victim’s reach during the fatal push. They planned it keeping her safety in mind,” an official said.Police said Goyal had agreed to sit down either on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces. That action was to signal Chaudhary, who had been trailing the couple, to strike.Investigators also said Chaudhary took several precautions to conceal his movements on June 18. Instead of driving, he allegedly travelled the nearly 90-km distance from Pune to Lohagad Fort on a scooter to avoid leaving records at toll plazas.”He travelled to the fort on a scooter because he feared a car could be detected at toll plazas. We have seized the scooter,” an investigating officer said.

Police said Chaudhary climbed the fort wearing a hoodie, later removed it and remained in a black T-shirt before putting the hoodie back on while leaving, allegedly to avoid attracting attention. After the murder, he returned to Pune on the same scooter.Earlier on Sunday, police took Goyal to Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the crime scene using a dummy to recreate the alleged push. Officials said the exercise was aimed at establishing the exact sequence of events leading to Agarwal’s death on June 18.Investigators further claimed the accused had earlier visited the fort to identify a suitable location for the murder and had even carried out a “practice” run.”We are yet to ascertain which other spot they had practised at,” an official said.With the police custody of both accused ending on Monday, investigators said they would seek an extension of their remand. Police also questioned Goyal’s parents and brother on Saturday and recorded their statements as part of the investigation.