Pune, 28 June

Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal’s fiancée, Siya Goyal, sat down not only to signal her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary to push him off Lohagad Fort, but also to ensure she remained out of the victim’s reach during the fall, police said on Sunday.

Chaudhary had also done his homework by travelling to the historical site on a scooter, avoiding a car because he feared it could be detected at a toll plaza, they said.

Goyal (20) and Chaudhary (22) have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill 25-year-old Agarwal and pushing him off a cliff at the fort in Pune district on 18 June.

An official said that as per the plan, Goyal was to give a signal by sitting down, following which Chaudhary was to come up and push an unsuspecting Agarwal to his death. They executed the plan perfectly, he said.

The two had decided that she would sit down either to drink water or on the pretext of tying her shoelaces. Sitting down was the signal, the official said.

However, it was also a well-thought-out move to protect Goyal.

“The signal was chosen deliberately so that Goyal would not be within the victim’s reach during the fatal push. They feared that if Chetan pushed Ketan and the latter tried to grab Siya while falling, she too could fall into the gorge. The plan was made keeping her safety in mind,” he said.

Co-accused Chaudhary had also taken great care to mask his presence as he followed Goyal and Agarwal on 18 June. Police said he deliberately travelled from Pune to Lohagad Fort, a distance of about 90 km, on a scooter instead of a car.

“Chaudhary travelled to Lohgad Fort on the morning of 18 June. He chose a scooter over a car as he feared that the car could be detected at a toll plaza. We have seized the scooter,” said a police officer, who is part of the investigation.

After allegedly committing the crime, Chetan returned to Pune on the same scooter, the official said.

Investigators have also found that Choudhary changed his appearance after reaching the fort.

“He climbed the fort wearing a hoodie. Later, he removed it and remained in a black T-shirt. While leaving, he put on the hoodie again,” the official said, adding that investigators believe it was done to avoid attracting attention.

Earlier on Sunday, police took Goyal to Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the crime scene, using a dummy to recreate the moment he fiance Agarwal was pushed to his death, an official said.

The exercise was aimed at establishing the exact chain of events of the 18 June incident, he said.

The official said that it was meticulous planning, and both have admitted that they had visited the fort to find a suitable spot to execute the plan and to do some “practice”.

“We are yet to ascertain which other spot they had practised at,” said the official.

As the police custody of both ends on Monday, they will be produced before the court, and cops will seek further remand, he said.

Police on Saturday questioned Goyal’s father, mother and brother at length and recorded their statements.