Lohagad Fort death takes shocking turn: Pune-based builder ‘murdered’, says police | Today’s news
Twenty-four-year-old Ketan Vishal Agarwal, who died after falling into a deep gorge at Lohagad Fort in Lonavala, was allegedly murdered, police told news agency PTI.
Agarwal traveled to Maharashtra’s Lonavala to celebrate his fiancee’s birthday with her and a friend. Earlier reports suggested that he lost his balance while trekking on a wet and slippery surface and fell into a 400 feet deep valley near the historic fort on the morning of June 18.
However, in a dramatic twist in the case, police now claim that Agarwal’s fiancee and her male friend pushed him into the ravine and tried to paint the incident as an accidental fall.
The victim was to be married in November
The deceased, a resident of Gahunje near Pune, was a director in the family’s real estate business. He was supposed to get married this November.
According to PTI, Agarwal was visiting Lohagad Fort with his fiancee and two close friends to celebrate her birthday when the incident took place.
On June 19, police initially said Agarwal lost his footing near a cliff amid strong winds at Lohagad Fort. Investigators said he slipped while taking pictures around 10:30 a.m. and fell nearly 400 feet into the valley.
Inspector Dinesh Tayde of Lonavala rural police station said Shivdurg Mitra Rescue Team personnel along with police officers conducted a three-hour operation to extricate the body from the rugged terrain.
The authorities then registered a case of accidental death and started an investigation. The body of the 24-year-old was subsequently sent for an autopsy.
The investigation takes a new turn
Police have now arrested two people and are investigating the case as a case of murder. Officials declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Similar case in Delhi
Earlier this month, the Delhi Police arrested a 21-year-old man from Kalindi Kunj for allegedly killing his 18-year-old wife and trying to pass off her death as suicide. Investigators claimed he strangled and suffocated her with a pillow after an argument over suspicions that she was involved in an extramarital affair, HT reported.
A senior police officer said the accused allegedly murdered his wife in the early hours of Friday and then stayed with her body for nearly 12 hours. He woke up around 1.30pm and allegedly tried to stage the scene to make it look like she had taken her own life.
Police said the accused later brought the body down and raised the alarm saying that his wife had committed suicide. However, the woman’s sister, who lives in the same neighborhood, suspected foul play and informed authorities that she might have been murdered.
An autopsy subsequently revealed that the victim died of strangulation and suffocation, contradicting the claim of suicide.
Investigators later learned that the pair got into an argument on Thursday night after the accused returned home drunk. Following allegations of abuse and murder by the victim’s family, the police registered a 21-year-old man and took him into custody.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
