Statements made by a member of the rescue team involved in recovering the body of Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal from the Lohgad Fort gorge in the city, surfacing on Saturday, have added another disturbing dimension to the infamous murder case. The rescue team member disclosed chilling details about the conditions under which the 25-year-old realtor was found after his fall from the Lohgad Fort cliff.
Victim Ketan and his fiancee Siya Goyal (Left to Right)
The rescuer, named Sunil Gaikwad, said Ketan’s body bore devastating injuries, while his fiancee Siya Goyal, who was present during the rescue operation appeared unusually composed despite the harrowing circumstances.
Gaikwad details on rescue operation
Gaikwad elaborated on the rescue operation’s details, saying that Ketan had suffered grievous injuries to his head. He said, “Upon reaching Lohagad Fort, we discovered a dead man with severe injuries to his head, including a crushed skull and multiple bruises on his limbs.”
For the unversed, Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 after falling from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune. In the aftermath of the incident, the police alleged that the fall was not accidental, but was a meticulously planned conspiracy by his fiancee Siya Goyal (22) and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary (25).
“Siya wasn’t distressed during rescue operation”: Gaikwad
Gaikwad then recounted the atmosphere during the difficult retrieval operation, saying that while Ketan’s kin and onlookers were visibly distressed, Siya’s demeanour stood out. He said, “Siya was present during the retrieval, but appeared calm and not overtly emotional, unlike other bystanders who were loudly distressed.”
He added that transporting the body from the rugged terrain was an arduous task. Adding to his statements, he said, “The police station received the call at 10:30 am. The operation continued till 12:30 pm, and we handed over Ketan’s body to the ambulance at around 1:30 pm.”
Cops alleged digital evidence was erased
As the probe into the case deepens, Pune Rural Police claimed to have unearthed an alleged attempt to destroy crucial evidence. An officer associated with the probe said both Siya and Chetan allegedly deleted their chat history and even cleared their cell phones’ recycle bins before and after the crime.
Representative image
The officer told news agency PTI, “During our investigation, it was learnt that the accused duo deleted their chats before June 18 and after the Lohagad incident from their respective cell phones. The chats were deleted from the recycle bins of their respective phones.”
The cops have also found that the accused duo remained in contact with each other frequently over the past six months, allegedly exchanging 2,004 phone calls before executing the crime.