Lohagad Fort murder: How Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary turned on each other in the Ketan Agarwal case | Today’s news

Days after Pune real estate manager Ketan Agarwal died after falling into a ravine at Lohagad Fort near Lonavla, the investigation has taken a new turn. According to The Times of Indiahis fiancee Siya Goyal and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary, both arrested in the case, are now accusing each other of planning and carrying out the alleged murder.

Sources told TOI that the two, who are currently in police custody, gave conflicting versions of the incident after being confronted during interrogation.

Police sources said the investigation found that Goyal and Chaudhary had allegedly been in touch for several months and had met at a city cafe a day before Agarwal’s death. Investigators suspect that the meeting was part of the alleged planning of the crime.

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The investigation into Ketan Agarwal’s death as a case of homicide was prompted by suspicions raised by his family, who contested the initial ruling of accidental death, and evidence gathered from digital sources, witness statements and CCTV footage.

Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary allegedly planned to kill Ketan Agarwal as Siya was allegedly unhappy about their upcoming marriage and was looking for a way to avoid a public annulment of the engagement due to family pressure.

Police found that Ketan Agarwal was forced out of Lohagad Fort through analysis of CCTV footage, call records between Goyal and Chaudhary and inconsistent statements given by both suspects during interrogation.

While Chetan Chaudhary’s family has publicly defended the allegations as baseless, the police investigation has produced substantial evidence linking him to the crime, making it crucial for the trial to determine the truth.

Evidence pointing to a conspiracy includes their numerous communications leading up to the incident, their meeting to plan the crime, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding Ketan’s fatal fall at Lohagad Fort.

Read also | Who is Siya Goyal? Pune woman accused in Ketan Agrawal death case

The incident, which occurred on June 18, was initially believed to be an accidental fall after Goyal told police and Agarwal’s family that he had slipped while posing for a photograph. However, investigators later claimed that Agarwal was pushed off the cliff by Goyal, Chaudhary or both.

According to the police, the accused turned against each other during questioning, with one allegedly blaming the other for preparing the crime. Investigators are now examining their statements, along with detailed call logs, CCTV footage and other evidence, to establish the sequence of events.

Police are also investigating the alleged planning behind the incident, including the choice of location, movement of the accused and their respective roles on the day of the incident.

Read also | ‘He didn’t pressure Ketan’: Chetan Chowdhury’s father denies murder charges

How the investigation developed

Ketan Agarwal, 26, was the director and marketing director of Success Group, a family-owned real estate company in Pune.

His death initially appeared to be an accident, but investigators became suspicious after learning that Agarwal was an experienced hiker. His family also disputed the accident theory and filed a complaint, prompting police to examine electronic evidence and witness statements.

According to investigators, on June 18 — a day before Goyal’s birthday — she allegedly insisted on visiting Lohagad Fort. Police said the couple left Gahunje around 8.30 am while Chaudhary reportedly reached the fort earlier on a two-wheeler.

A police official said on Wednesday that Goyal and Chaudhary had reportedly met at a cafe the previous day to discuss a plan to remove Agarwal and identify a place from where he could be pushed out.

Investigators suspect the location was chosen because the number of visitors is relatively low between Monday and Wednesday. Police are also investigating whether fact-finding visits were made prior to the incident.

Police claimed that Chaudhary spent less than 10 minutes at the top of the fort and completed the trek in less than 50 minutes. To avoid detection, he allegedly left his own mobile phone at his shop in Pune’s Market Yard and instead carried an employee’s phone. The employee is currently being questioned.

Investigators say Agarwal was pushed into a 400-foot ravine. Police said Goyal later informed family members and local authorities, claiming it was an accident.

Read also | A fort trek, a secret lover and a fatal fall: A Pune murder case

CCTV, call records under scanner

Investigators said CCTV footage from the fort’s treasury became a key piece of evidence.

The footage reportedly showed Agarwal and Goyal walking together while another man in shorts and a hoodie followed a short distance away despite the hot weather.

“We checked the temperature on June 18 and it was 33 degrees Celsius. Why would anyone wear a hoodie in that heat?” said the police official.

The police claimed that the hooded man was later identified as Chaudhary by comparing CCTV visuals with photos from his social media accounts.

Investigators also examined call records, which they said showed more than 2,000 conversations between Goyal and Chaudhary over six months, amounting to about 238 hours of calls.

After investigation, Chaudhary was taken into custody. Goyal was arrested soon after and the Wadgaon Maval court remanded both the accused in police custody till June 29.

Police investigation of alleged prior attempts, motive

Police are also investigating claims that there were three earlier attempts to kill Agarwal before June 18.

Investigators said an attempt was made on May 31, another on June 4 and a third on June 14, but each was unsuccessful for different reasons.

The police further alleged that Goyal deliberately damaged Agarwal’s passport ahead of a planned trip to Bali, claiming that Chaudhary was against the holiday.

According to investigators, the alleged motive was that Goyal no longer wanted to continue the marriage but also did not want to call it off publicly due to concerns about the family’s reputation.

Earlier, Agarwal’s father Vishal Agarwal questioned why the marriage was not simply annulled.

“If she didn’t want to marry my son, she could have simply said so. We would have canceled the wedding immediately. Why did they decide to take such a drastic step?” he said.

He further claimed, “When the police came with my son’s body, Siya showed no reaction. There was no sadness on her face.”

Ketan Agarwal’s mother demanded death penalty for the accused, while his father called for a speedy trial.