Cops say no evidence on who pushed Ketan, seek lie-detector test for Siya
Pune Police has approached a court seeking permission to conduct a polygraph test on Siya Goyal, the prime accused in the murder of her fiancé Ketan Agarwal, saying that there is no conclusive evidence to establish who pushed Ketan into the gorge and the examination is necessary to further the investigation.
Pune police on Thursday approached the court seeking permission to conduct a lie-detector (polygraph) test on Siya Goyal, prime accused in the murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal. Investigators told the court that, apart from the accused's statements, there is no direct eyewitness or conclusive evidence establishing who allegedly pushed Ketan Agarwal into the gorge.
While seeking the court's permission, police said the statements of Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary have already been recorded, but a polygraph examination is necessary to further the investigation. They argued that the test could help generate fresh investigative leads.
Reacting to the development, Siya Goyal's lawyer, Vipul Dushing, said the investigating agency had approached the court for permission but stressed that "several legal and technical procedures must be completed before such a test can be conducted". He added that the accused's consent is mandatory for administering a lie-detector test.
Polygraph tests are often sought in cases where prima facie or corroborative evidence is limited. However, the results are not admissible as substantive evidence in court and are generally used only to assist investigators in developing leads during the course of a probe.
The case has drawn nationwide attention since Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal was allegedly pushed to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18. Agarwal was engaged to Siya Goyal and the two were scheduled to marry in November.
Police have accused Goyal and her alleged partner, Chetan Chaudhary, of conspiring to kill him. Both were arrested after the incident and remain in police custody till July 3 as the investigation continues.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pune Rural Police informed that the investigators were examining whether any evidence had been deleted or tampered with from Ketan Agarwal's mobile phone as it remained in the possession of Siya Goyal for some time before she handed it over to his family.
As part of the probe, the police on July 1 recreated the crime scene with Chaudhary at Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the sequence of events. A similar exercise had been carried out with Goyal on Sunday, during which investigators used a dummy to recreate the alleged fall from the cliff.
Police said the investigation indicates Agarwal's phone came into Goyal's possession after the incident and that forensic experts are examining whether any crucial data was deleted while it remained with her.
Pune police on Thursday approached the court seeking permission to conduct a lie-detector (polygraph) test on Siya Goyal, prime accused in the murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal. Investigators told the court that, apart from the accused's statements, there is no direct eyewitness or conclusive evidence establishing who allegedly pushed Ketan Agarwal into the gorge.
While seeking the court's permission, police said the statements of Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary have already been recorded, but a polygraph examination is necessary to further the investigation. They argued that the test could help generate fresh investigative leads.
Reacting to the development, Siya Goyal's lawyer, Vipul Dushing, said the investigating agency had approached the court for permission but stressed that "several legal and technical procedures must be completed before such a test can be conducted". He added that the accused's consent is mandatory for administering a lie-detector test.
Polygraph tests are often sought in cases where prima facie or corroborative evidence is limited. However, the results are not admissible as substantive evidence in court and are generally used only to assist investigators in developing leads during the course of a probe.
The case has drawn nationwide attention since Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal was allegedly pushed to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18. Agarwal was engaged to Siya Goyal and the two were scheduled to marry in November.
Police have accused Goyal and her alleged partner, Chetan Chaudhary, of conspiring to kill him. Both were arrested after the incident and remain in police custody till July 3 as the investigation continues.
Earlier on Wednesday, Pune Rural Police informed that the investigators were examining whether any evidence had been deleted or tampered with from Ketan Agarwal's mobile phone as it remained in the possession of Siya Goyal for some time before she handed it over to his family.
As part of the probe, the police on July 1 recreated the crime scene with Chaudhary at Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the sequence of events. A similar exercise had been carried out with Goyal on Sunday, during which investigators used a dummy to recreate the alleged fall from the cliff.
Police said the investigation indicates Agarwal's phone came into Goyal's possession after the incident and that forensic experts are examining whether any crucial data was deleted while it remained with her.
