No Witnesses, No CCTV: Pune Cops Fear A 'Sonam Raghuvanshi-Like Twist' In Ketan Murder Case
No Witnesses, No CCTV: Pune Cops Fear A 'Sonam Raghuvanshi-Like Twist' In Ketan Murder Case Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 01, 2026, 10:23
No Witnesses, No CCTV: Pune Cops Fear A 'Sonam Raghuvanshi-Like Twist' In Ketan Murder Case Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 01, 2026, 10:23 IST Investigators admit that the case for now is entirely circumstantial, where every piece of evidence must fit together to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt Rapid Read The caution stems from the recent Sonam Raghuvanshi case, where procedural lapses in the arrest process ultimately resulted in bail being granted and later upheld by the high court. Determined to avoid the kind of procedural lapses that helped secure bail for Meghalaya honeymoon murder accused Sonam Raghuvanshi, the Pune Rural Police are working to build what they describe as a “foolproof" chargesheet in the murder of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal at Lohagad Fort, top Maharashtra Police sources have told News18. Investigators are pushing for a polygraph (lie detector) test on Ketan’s fiancée and main accused Siya Goyal—not because its results are admissible as evidence in court, but because they believe it could help uncover crucial leads that can later be independently verified through digital or forensic evidence. The caution stems from the recent Sonam Raghuvanshi case, where procedural lapses in the arrest process ultimately resulted in bail being granted and later upheld by the high court. Police sources say they are determined to ensure that no similar technical error weakens their prosecution against Siya. Why Police Want A Polygraph Under Indian law, polygraph results themselves are not admissible as substantive evidence in court. However, investigators say the examination can serve as an investigative tool to generate fresh leads. ALSO READ | Money Trail In Ketan Murder?
Siya Allegedly Moved Rs 1 Crore Meant For Wedding Expenses To Chetan According to top Maharashtra Police sources, officers hope the questioning could reveal previously unknown details. For instance, if Siya inadvertently discloses that she had researched the height of the cliff at Lohagad Fort or refers to digital activity not previously known to investigators, police could then recover that digital evidence independently. Such independently discovered evidence, such as browser history, location data or deleted searches, could be admissible in court if recovered through proper legal procedures, even though the polygraph responses themselves are not. “The focus is not on using the polygraph report as evidence. It is to identify hidden facts that can subsequently be corroborated through legally admissible digital and forensic evidence," a senior police source said. A Circumstantial Case With No Direct Proof Investigators acknowledge they face significant evidentiary challenges. There are no eyewitnesses who saw Ketan being pushed from the cliff. Nor is there any CCTV footage capturing the alleged act. ALSO READ | Changed Appearance, Rehearsed Answers, And A Tea Shop: Police Piece Together Ketan Agarwal Case The available CCTV footage only places co-accused and Siya’s lover Chetan Chaudhary near the location wearing a hoodie, police sources said, adding that this by itself does not establish murder. Police have also recreated the alleged crime scene using a dummy, but officers privately concede that such demonstrations carry little evidentiary value. “The way a dummy falls depends on its weight distribution, angle and velocity. It cannot scientifically establish whether the victim was deliberately pushed or accidentally slipped," a source said. Because of these limitations, investigators describe the case as entirely circumstantial, where every piece of evidence must fit together to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The BriefWire