Police allege Ketan Agarwal was killed at Lohagad Fort by his fiancée and her partner in a planned conspiracy.
Investigators say earlier attempts included sabotaging a Bali pre-wedding trip by hiding his passport.
The accused were arrested after initial reports of an accidental fall were reclassified as murder.
The death of 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal at Lohagad Fort near Pune has been reclassified as a murder conspiracy, with police alleging that his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her partner Chetan Chaudhary planned and executed the killing during a trek that was initially reported as an accident.
According to Indian Express, what was first recorded as an accidental fall has now led to the arrest of Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary, as investigators claim the duo pushed Ketan Agarwal off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on 18 June. The case has since widened into what police describe as a premeditated plot linked to a love triangle and repeated attempts to isolate the victim during planned trips.
Ketan Agarwal, son of businessman Vishal Agarwal and a director in the family real estate firm, had travelled from Gahunje in Pune district for the trek. Siya Goyal, 20, who was engaged to him, came from a dry fruits trading family and was also pursuing commerce studies while running a small bakery venture. The couple’s wedding had been scheduled for later this year, with preparations reportedly including a palace booking in Udaipur.
Police told Indian Express that Siya Goyal was in a relationship with Chetan Chaudhary, and the two allegedly conspired to stop her marriage to Ketan Agarwal. Pune Rural police chief Sandeep Singh Gill said the pair arranged the trek to Lohagad Fort, where Chetan Chaudhary was already present and followed them during the climb. Investigators allege that the two then pushed Ketan off the cliff.
“Our probe has revealed that Siya and Chetan were in a relationship. Siya was engaged to Ketan, but she did not want to marry him. So, she and Chetan hatched a conspiracy. Siya took Ketan to Lohagad Fort on June 18. Chetan was already there. As the two climbed up the hill fort, Chetan followed them. Then he and Siya pushed Ketan off the cliff. We have arrested both of them,” Pune Rural police chief, Sandeep Singh Gill, told the media on Tuesday. The two have been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.
Indian Express reported that investigators have also uncovered earlier attempts linked to the alleged plan. One key incident involved a pre-wedding trip to Bali, where Ketan Agarwal and Siya Goyal were due to travel for a photo shoot in early June. However, the journey was aborted after his passport went missing at Mumbai airport, forcing them to return.
“In the first week of June, they had a plan to go to Bali for a pre-wedding shoot. They went to Mumbai to leave for Bali, but Ketan’s passport went missing at the airport. They had to return. In our probe, it has come to light that Siya hid Ketan’s passport to avoid going to Bali with him,” Gill said. The senior police officer said Siya got Ketan to visit Lohagad twice before June 18, but the murder plot could not be executed during those two visits.
The investigation, as per Indian Express, is continuing as police examine the sequence of events leading up to the trek and the alleged planning behind the killing.
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
