Ketan murder case: Cops to use 'gait analysis' to match Chetan's hoodie from CCTV footage; How will the test work

A hoodie worn in scorching June heat is now at the centre of the murder investigation into Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal's death. Police plan to put accused Chetan Chaudhary through gait analysis, a forensic technique that studies a person's walking pattern, including stride length, posture and limb movement, to match suspects against CCTV footage.

How will the Gait analysis work?

Chetan Chaudhary became a person of interest after he was spotted on CCTV near the foothills of Lohagad Fort wearing a hoodie despite the hot weather on June 18, the day Agarwal died. Investigators say the analysis became necessary precisely because Chaudhary allegedly used the hoodie to conceal his identity that day.

"We have CCTV footage showing him walking while wearing a hoodie to hide his face. The gait analysis will compare his movement in the CCTV footage with the recreated video to determine whether the walking patterns match," an officer told the court on Monday.

To carry this out, police plan to recreate the CCTV footage by having Chaudhary wear a similar hoodie and walk through the same spot at the fort in a comparable manner, then compare the two videos frame by frame.

READ MORE: Ketan Agarwal case: Siya Goyal’s brother gets ₹10 cr defamation notice from her lawyer

How the case unfolded

Ketan Agarwal, 25, director of family-run real estate firm Success Group and a resident of Pune's Lodha Belmondo in Gahunje, had gone to Lohagad Fort near Lonavala on June 18 with his fiancée Siya Goyal to celebrate her birthday. Siya initially told police that Ketan had slipped and fallen while taking photographs near the fort.

An accidental death report was registered at first. Days later, the case turned into a murder probe, with police arresting Siya and her friend Chetan Chaudhary on suspicion of orchestrating the killing.

Crime scene reconstruction

On Sunday, Siya was taken to the fort to help reconstruct the alleged crime using a human-sized dummy. According to police, she sat down to signal Chaudhary to push Agarwal off the cliff on June 18.

Courtroom drama over representation

Advocate Vipul Dushing, representing Siya, argued in court on Monday that her arrest was illegal and lacked valid grounds. Chaudhary's lawyer, Ram Shahane, said his client's role in the FIR was limited and undefined.

A separate drama played out on the court premises when a man identifying himself as Aashutosh Shrivastav claimed he would be representing Siya, presenting a vakalatnama bearing what he said was her signature. Siya and her family told the court that Vipul Dushing was, in fact, her lawyer.