Hoodie-clad Chetan Chaudhary’s walk becomes key focus in Lohagad Murder Probe; Pune Police begin 'gait analysis'

PUNE: Police will conduct gait analysis on Chetain Chaudhary to confirm his presence around the scene of the crime (Lohagad Fort) and build a watertight case against him and his alleged girlfriend.

What is 'gait analysis'

Factors under consideration:

Investigators told the court that the analysis would help establish whether the person seen in CCTV footage at the fort was Chaudhary, who allegedly wore a hoodie to conceal his identity on the day Agarwal was pushed off a cliff.According to police, Chaudhary will be made to wear a similar hoodie and walk along the same route at Lohagad Fort so that his movements can be compared with the CCTV footage.Chaudhary (22) and Goyal (20) were produced before the court of A.M.

Vibhute in Vadgaon Maval. The court extended their remand till July 3.Seeking further custody, the prosecution said the investigation had revealed that the accused had visited Lohagad Fort before the murder to identify the exact spot from where Agarwal was to be pushed.Assistant Public Prosecutor Rajashri Virkud told the court that police also needed to question the duo about several meetings they allegedly held while planning the murder conspiracy.

"Police want to question both the accused on this aspect, and hence the extension of custody is needed," said assistant public prosecutor Rajashri Virkud."The accused deleted digital data that constitutes crucial evidence; the process of recovering this data is currently underway. Once retrieved, this data will serve as the basis for a thorough interrogation of the accused," the court was told.Police also informed the court that a reconstruction of the crime sequence had already been carried out based on Goyal's statement and now needed to be verified with Chaudhary.Investigators said the accused had interacted with several people at Lohagad Fort on the day of the incident and CCTV footage of those interactions would also form part of the probe.The prosecution also told the court that Goyal allegedly removed Ketan's passport from his bag while they were travelling from Pune to Mumbai for a pre-wedding shoot and discarded it near a food mall in Khalapur, Raigad district."Therefore, the deceased's passport needs to be located and recovered with the assistance of Goyal," the prosecution said.Police also informed the court that some new witnesses had come forward during the investigation and their statements would be verified by confronting them with the accused.During the hearing, Goyal's counsel, advocate Vipul Dushing, argued that her arrest was illegal and lacked valid grounds, while Chaudhary's lawyer, Ram Shahane, contended that his client's role in the FIR was limited and not clearly defined.Meanwhile, a drama unfolded on the court premises when an advocate, who identified himself as Aashutosh Shrivastav, claimed he will be representing Goyal.He presented his vakalatnama with a purported signature of Goyal before the court. However, Goyal and her family informed the court that Vipul Dushing is representing her.On Sunday, police recreated the crime scene at Lohagad Fort using a human-sized dummy.

Investigators have alleged that Goyal gave Chaudhary a pre-decided signal before he pushed Agarwal off the cliff.Police have also claimed that Chaudhary travelled to the fort on a scooter to avoid toll plazas, wore a hoodie while climbing the fort to conceal his identity, changed into a black T-shirt during the incident and put the hoodie back on while leaving.The accused allegedly returned to Pune on the same scooter after the crime. Police had earlier questioned Goyal's parents and brother as part of the investigation.(With PTI inputs)