According to the investigation, Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 after he was allegedly pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort by his 20-year-old fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her alleged lover, 22-year-old Chetan Chaudhary. Police are now preparing to compare surveillance footage recorded at Lohagad Fort with a recreated walk by Chaudhary in an effort to establish whether the individual captured on camera is the accused.
During their examination of the surveillance footage, investigators observed Chaudhary, dressed in shorts and a hoodie, allegedly following Agarwal and Goyal during the trek to the fort. However, because his face was obscured by the hood, conventional facial recognition methods could not provide a reliable identification, prompting investigators to rely on forensic gait analysis.
As part of the forensic procedure, Chaudhary is expected to wear clothing similar to that seen in the surveillance footage and walk along the same route at Lohagad Fort. The recreated recording will then be scientifically compared with the original footage to identify similarities in walking style, posture, stride length, limb movement and overall biomechanics.
Mayank Gurjar, an Indian Police Service officer who led the Special Investigation Team in the murder investigation of journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh and is currently serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) in Raipur, said gait analysis has become particularly important in the Pune investigation because traditional facial identification is not feasible.
Gurjar explained that every individual possesses a distinctive walking pattern shaped by skeletal structure, posture, stride and biomechanics. He stated that even when a suspect conceals facial features, these characteristics generally remain consistent, making gait analysis a valuable forensic tool.
He further said that if forensic experts establish a match between the surveillance footage and the accused's gait, it could substantially strengthen the chain of circumstantial evidence by placing the accused at the crime scene. However, he emphasized that gait analysis serves only as corroborative evidence and cannot independently establish guilt. It must be supported by forensic findings, digital evidence and witness testimony.
Highlighting the global use of the technology, Gurjar noted that police agencies in the United Kingdom have employed gait analysis in homicide, robbery and sexual assault investigations where surveillance footage was unclear or suspects had concealed their faces. The technology was also used during the 2011 London riots, while China has incorporated artificial intelligence-based gait recognition into its surveillance systems.
He added that forensic video analysis remains an evolving discipline in India, with the Pune murder investigation emerging as one of the country's most high-profile cases to employ gait analysis as part of the investigative process.
Former Delhi Police Special Cell officer L. N. Rao said gait analysis enables investigators to gather stronger corroborative evidence during criminal investigations. He explained that the process involves examining a suspect's walking pattern, body posture and movement angles. Forensic specialists analyze these movement characteristics to establish important facts. Although gait analysis is not conclusive evidence by itself, Rao said it can significantly reinforce the prosecution's case when supported by additional evidence.
Cybersecurity expert Raj Shekhar said developments in artificial intelligence have made gait analysis considerably more effective than in the past. He explained that poor image quality and camera distance often make facial identification difficult in surveillance footage, but artificial intelligence can analyze movement patterns and substantially improve the likelihood of accurately identifying an individual. He added that artificial intelligence-assisted analysis of surveillance footage is expected to become a routine investigative tool for both law enforcement agencies and private security systems.
Cybersecurity expert Sunny Nehra said gait analysis has assumed particular importance in the Pune murder investigation because the suspect's face was concealed in the surveillance footage, making facial identification extremely challenging. He stated that every individual has a unique walking pattern, and artificial intelligence can identify subtle movement signatures to assist investigators in identifying suspects. While describing gait analysis as corroborative rather than conclusive evidence, Nehra said it significantly strengthens an investigation when supported by forensic, digital and witness evidence. He added that although a person can conceal facial features or change clothing, altering natural biomechanics is far more difficult, making gait one of the most promising behavioral biometric techniques in modern forensic science.
As the investigation progresses, forensic gait analysis is expected to play a pivotal role in reinforcing the circumstantial evidence against the accused. While investigators continue to collect forensic, digital and testimonial evidence, the outcome of the scientific comparison could become a significant component in establishing the sequence of events surrounding the alleged murder of Ketan Agarwal.
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