‘Killing Ketan was easier than telling my family’: Siya Goyal’s chilling claim in Pune murder case | Today’s news
Siya Goyal, one of the accused in the Lohagad Fort murder case, reportedly said during custodial interrogation that killing her fiance Ketan Agarwal was “easier” than telling her family that she no longer wanted to marry him, according to a report by The Times of India (TOI).
Police said Goyal also claimed that she did not like Agarwal because he was wearing a wig. When asked why she never informed her family that she wanted to end the engagement, she is said to have replied that she did not want to hurt them.
Investigators alleged that Goyal said that pushing Agarwal into a ravine in Lohagad Fort seemed an easier option than confronting her family and annulling the marriage. Police said they are reviewing the statement as part of an ongoing investigation.
The police accuse him of conspiracy to murder with his co-accused
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Siya Goyal reportedly claimed that killing Ketan Agarwal was ‘easier’ than telling her family that she no longer wanted to marry him, citing fears that she would hurt them.
Police were investigating whether Siya’s brother, Sahil Goyal, was aware of her relationship with Chetan Chaudhary and shared that information with their family as they tried to establish a timeline leading up to the murder.
Investigators claimed that there were several earlier attempts on Ketan’s life before the fatal incident, suggesting a conspiracy between Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary.
Siya and Chetan allegedly conspired to push Ketan off a cliff at Lohagad Fort, with investigators saying Siya signaled Chetan before the act took place.
Ketan Agarwal’s father dismissed the notion that his son’s wig was the motive behind the murder, saying it was revealed to the Siya family before the engagement.
According to the police, Goyal had earlier told Agarwal that she did not wish to continue the marriage, but he allegedly refused to end the engagement.
Cops further alleged that she then conspired with her alleged lover and co-accused Chetan Chaudhary to murder Agarwal, TOI reported.
Read also | Ketan Agarwal murder: Father claims Siya Goyal knew about ‘hair patch’
Meanwhile, Agarwal’s father, Vishal Agarwal, rejected the accused’s claim, saying that his son wore a small hair band and that Goyal’s family was informed about it before the engagement.
“Wearing a wig cannot be a reason to kill my son,” Agarwal told reporters.
The brother asked how the investigation was expanding
Pune Rural Police questioned Goyal’s brother Sahil Goyal as part of the investigation at the district police headquarters on Friday.
Investigators were trying to find out whether he knew about Siya Goyal’s relationship with co-accused Chetan Chaudhary and whether he shared this information with other family members.
Police said their investigation indicated that the Goyal family first became aware of Siya’s closeness to Chaudhary during a community cricket tournament in January.
Read also | Hina Khan left shocked by Ketan Agarwal’s murder; says Siya Goyal could…”
Investigators also suspect that differences in the financial backgrounds of the two families influenced the decision to arrange Goyal’s marriage to Agarwal.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police continuing to interview relatives and others connected to the case to determine the sequence of events leading up to the alleged murder.
Police detail several alleged attempts before the murder
According to the police, the accused made several unsuccessful attempts at murder.
Police claimed to have accompanied Goyal Agarwal to Lohagad Fort on May 31, where they allegedly identified a remote spot near the Vinchu Kata ridge as a possible crime scene. A second visit scheduled for June 4 did not take place after Agarwal’s mother protested.
The police further alleged that on June 14, Goyal tried to push Agarwal off a cliff, but he survived by holding onto a bush. Investigators say she convinced him the fall was accidental, regained his trust and returned to the fort with him four days later.
On June 18, Goyal and Chaudhary allegedly executed their plan by pushing the 25-year-old into a 350-feet deep ravine at Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra’s Maval taluka, resulting in his death.
Read also | Siya decides to kill Ketan so as not to ‘bring disrespect to her family’: Chetan
The police also alleged that Goyal threw away Agarwal’s passport on June 6 in preparation for the crime.
Investigators said they recorded the statement of an employee at Chaudhary’s shop who claimed that the accused left his own mobile phone on the day of the incident and instead took the employee’s handset to the fort.
Police further claimed that CCTV footage from a cafe in Pune showed Goyal and Chaudhary meeting several times between May 31 and June 4. Both are being questioned about these meetings as the investigation continues.
