Cops plan "Gait Analysis" of accused Chaudhary in Ketan Agarwal murder probe

PUNE: Police investigating the Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal murder case will conduct a “gait analysis” of accused Chetan Chaudhary. They are also planning to compare the CCTV footage capturing his movements at the Lohagad Fort with a recreated video, a court was informed on Monday.

Police highlighted the need to probe various aspects, including the exact spot of the crime on the fort and a missing passport of the victim. They sought (and received) an extension of the custody of Chaudhary and his lover, Siya Goyal (Agarwal’s fiancée).

The court extended their police custody till July 3. 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 explained that gait analysis is the study of a person’s walking pattern.

It is used to identify suspects from CCTV footage by comparing distinctive characteristics such as stride length, posture, and limb movements.In this case, the Pune rural police plan to compare the CCTV footage showing Chaudhary’s movements at the fort with a recreated video.

The analysis is necessary because Chaudhary wore a hoodie to cover his face on the day of the crime to conceal his identity. Police will recreate the scene by making him wear a similar hoodie and walk at the same spot on the fort.

“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,” the official said.

Other Key Points from the Court Hearing:

The duo had visited the fort earlier to identify the spot to push Agarwal off the cliff. They repeatedly met at various locations to hatch the murder conspiracy.
The accused deleted digital data (evidence recovery is underway).

A reconstruction of events based on Goyal’s statement was done on June 28 and now needs verification with Chaudhary. Both interacted with certain individuals at the fort (being investigated via CCTV).

Goyal allegedly removed Agarwal’s passport from his bag and discarded it at Khalapur food mall in Raigad district (police want to recover it with her help).
New witnesses have come forward.

Defense Arguments:

Goyal’s lawyer argued her arrest was illegal and without valid grounds.Chaudhary’s lawyer said his client’s role in the FIR is very limited and undefined.

There was also a brief drama in court when another advocate claimed to represent Goyal, but her family confirmed their chosen lawyer.

Background Details:

On Sunday, police took Goyal to the fort for a crime scene reconstruction using a human-sized dummy. She allegedly sat down to signal Chaudhary to push Agarwal.

Chaudhary reportedly traveled to the fort on a scooter (avoiding a car to evade toll plaza detection). He wore a hoodie while climbing, switched to a black T-shirt, and put the hoodie back on while leaving.

Police last week questioned Goyal’s parents and brother and recorded their statements.