Lohagad Fort murder: Siya's lawyers say confession not 'admissible evidence' as police REVEAL how she 'signalled' Chetan to push Ketan off cliff
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Lohagad Fort murder: Siya's lawyers say confession not 'admissible evidence' as police REVEAL how she 'signalled' Chetan to push Ketan off cliff")
Ketan Agarwal and Siya Goyal (L), Chetan Chaudhary (R) Photograph: (Combination created using images from X)
Pune Police claim Siya Goyal gave co-accused Chetan Chaudhary a pre-arranged signal moments before Ketan Agarwal was allegedly pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort, while her lawyer argues that any confession made in police custody cannot be treated as admissible evidence. Latest updates here.
The investigation into the murder of businessman Ketan Agarwal took two dramatic turns on Sunday (Jun 28). Pune Rural Police have revealed that the accused Siya Goyal allegedly gave a pre-decided secret signal to the co-accused Chetan Chaudhary moments before Agarwal was pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort. Meanwhile, her lawyer argued that any confession made by the accused while in police custody cannot be treated as admissible evidence in court.
The developments came as police took Goyal back to the fort to recreate the crime scene using a dummy matching Agarwal's weight. Investigators claim the reconstruction was carried out based on Goyal's account of what happened on June 18. According to police, the alleged murder was neither spontaneous nor accidental.
Police claim duo plotted murder at Pune cafe
Investigators say Goyal and Chaudhary had been planning the crime for some time. According to the Pune Rural Police, the two allegedly met at a cafe in Pune's Lullanagar area a day before the incident and finalised the plan.
Authorities claim CCTV footage has corroborated their presence at the location. "In the ongoing probe, it has come to light that the crime was allegedly planned by accused Siya Goyal and her friend Chetan Chaudhary," a Pune Rural Police official said.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
Police further allege that the pair rehearsed the crime before carrying it out. Investigators are now trying to establish where those rehearsals took place.
Police reveal secret 'signal' that sealed Ketan's fate
The most striking claim made by investigators on Sunday concerns the final moments before Agarwal's death. According to police, Goyal allegedly sat down to drink water, a move investigators believe was a pre-arranged signal for Chaudhary to act. Officials suspect she deliberately positioned herself away from Agarwal so that he would not be able to grab her for support as he fell. Moments later, police allege, Chaudhary pushed the 26-year-old businessman off the cliff.
Defence questions the prosecution's case
While investigators appeared confident about the direction of the probe, Goyal's legal team pushed back against the narrative emerging from police custody.
Advocate Aashutosh Srivastava, appearing for Goyal, said the defence would challenge any reliance on custodial confessions.
"I have said before that what was previously Section 25 of our Indian Evidence Act is now Section 23 in our new law, the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. It states very clearly that if any accused makes any kind of confession while in detention or police custody, where they are under pressure or under threat, then such confessions cannot be considered admissible evidence at all," he said.
Srivastava added that it would ultimately be up to the prosecution to produce independent evidence supporting its allegations.
The lawyer also questioned why the investigation shifted from being treated as an accidental death to a murder case.
"We will argue based on these grounds and present the facts surrounding the FIR, specifically what prompted the prosecution or investigating agency to shift the perspective from an accidental death to a potential murder case," he said.
"From the defence's standpoint, there is no concrete reason to pursue this as a murder trial."
