Witness saw Ketan Agrawal being pushed off cliff, was threatened with same fate
One of the witnesses in the probe into the death of Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal has emerged as a key lead for the investigators as he claims that he saw Chetan Chaudhary, one of the three accused, push the 26-year-old off the cliff at Lohagad Fort, according to police sources.
The person, whose identity remains undisclosed, also alleged that he was later threatened with a similar fate. He approached the police five days after the incident, on June 23, and got his statement recorded, sources said.
The witness was visiting Lohagad with his friend's family. While climbing the steps leading to the fort, he allegedly noticed Ketan and his fiancee Siya Goyal, a second accused, walking together, with Chetan following them.
Chetanβs hoodie helped the witness remember his face, per the sources.
The witness had purportedly even asked him why he was wearing a hoodie despite the summer heat.
After reaching the fort, Chetan is said to have sat near a temple before following Ketan and Siya as they moved ahead.
The witness told the police that he moved away from the scene briefly after experiencing stomach cramps, sources claimed.
While returning, he allegedly saw Siya pointing towards Chetan. According to the witness's statement, the woman then sat down and kicked Ketan on the leg.
Following this, Chetan allegedly ran towards the businessman from behind and pushed him towards the cliff.
The witness has purportedly claimed that he later confronted Chetan about what he saw.
The direct confrontation is said to have irked Chetan, who allegedly warned him to remain silent and threatened to throw him off the fort as well.
The unnamed person refrained from telling his friend about the incident, sources said.
After returning home, he developed a fever and body ache, per his statement. Sources said the man later contacted the police after learning more about the incident through media reports.CHETAN'S HOODIE A KEY MARKER
A second witness in the case also claims to have had a direct encounter with Chetan while undertaking the trek to Lohagad.
The person asked Chetan why he was wearing a hoodie, following which the latter apologised and continued walking, sources said, citing the witness's statement.
Alongside witness statements, investigators have also examined a large volume of digital evidence as part of the probe.TECHNICAL ANALYSIS BY POLICE
Police have reportedly analysed nearly 12 TB of technical data, including information extracted from six mobile phones, nine pen drives, backups, call records and social media accounts.
Investigators are also examining deleted chats and other data recovered through forensic analysis. Police sources said attempts were allegedly made to delete certain digital information, but portions of the data were subsequently recovered.
Search history relating to deleting data from an iPhone, clearing chat histories and methods to prevent deleted information from being recovered has also come under scrutiny, according to investigators.
Earlier this month, Pune Rural Police filed a 5,053-page chargesheet in the murder case.
Ketan was initially believed to have died after falling from Lohagad Fort in Pune. However, police later claimed that he was killed as part of a conspiracy hatched by Siya, and Chetan, her purported lover.
A third accused named Ritesh Hange has also been arrested in connection with the case. He has been identified by the police as Chetan's friend.- Ends(With additional inputs from PTI)
Omkar Wable has been working in the media since 2018. He is the curious about the world. Political coverage is his core competency and social issues have always been a priority. Covering ground reports from various communities along with civic issues is strength.
