Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Can a Lie Detector Test on Siya Goyal Help Investigators Crack the Case?

The investigation into the murder of 26-year-old Pune businessman and realtor Ketan Agarwal has entered a decisive phase with Pune police on Thursday approaching the court for permission to conduct a lie-detector (polygraph) test on Siya Goyal, the prime accused in the murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal.

The move comes as investigators told court that apart from the accused's statements, there is no direct eyewitness or conclusive evidence establishing who allegedly pushed Agarwal into the gorge.

In their application, police told the court that the statements of prime accused Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary had already been recorded. However, officers argued that a polygraph (lie-detector) test could help verify their statements, uncover inconsistencies and provide fresh leads in the case. The police have sought the court's permission to conduct the examination.

Polygraph tests are often sought during investigations to corroborate statements or uncover leads. However, as ruled by the Supreme Court of India, the test results are not admissible as substantive evidence in court and are generally used only to assist investigators in developing leads during the course of a probe.

Accused Siya Goyal's father, Praveen Goyal told ANI, "The police had come to the house today but I did not meet anyone. They did their work and were here for around 30-45 minutes. The doctor has advised me to take rest. My health is down. I do not want to speak about this case. I do not have the strength for it. The police did not ask me anything."

For the unversed, 25-year-old Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal died after allegedly being pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18. Police have accused Ketan's fiancee Siya and her alleged boyfriend Chetan of planning and executing the murder. Ketan and Siya were scheduled to marry in November.

Both Siya and Chetan were arrested in connection with the case and remain in police custody till July 3 as the investigation continues.