Pune police arrested Siya Goyal and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary for conspiring to murder her fiancé, realtor Ketan Agarwal, at Lohagad Fort.
Goyal allegedly used a sitting signal to prompt the fatal push while keeping herself safely out of the falling victim's grasp.
Chaudhary attempted to evade detection by travelling 90 km on a scooter to avoid toll plazas and changing his attire at the crime scene.
A meticulous murder conspiracy unravelled in Pune district after police revealed how 20-year-old Siya Goyal allegedly used a pre-arranged signal to coordinate the fatal plunge of her fiancé, realtor Ketan Agarwal, off Lohagad Fort. Goyal and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, 22, were arrested for orchestrating the June 18 incident, which involved extensive planning to shield Goyal from being pulled into the gorge by the victim and attempts by Chaudhary to mask his movements.
The case underscores a highly calculated plot where the co-accused scouted locations and rehearsed the crime prior to its execution, PTI reported. Local investigators conducted a crime scene reconstruction at the fort on Sunday using a dummy to map out the exact sequence of events. With the suspects' initial police custody ending on Monday, authorities are set to present them in court to seek a further remand to broaden the probe.
According to police, Goyal’s decision to sit down on the cliff's edge served a dual purpose: it signalled Chaudhary to strike and physically isolated her from Agarwal, 25, as he fell.
"The signal was chosen deliberately so that Goyal would not be within the victim’s reach during the fatal push," an official part of the investigation stated. "They feared that if Chetan pushed Ketan and the latter tried to grab Siya while falling, she too could fall into the gorge. The plan was made keeping her safety in mind."
The two had previously decided that Goyal would sit down either on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces. Once she did, Chaudhary moved in from behind to push the unsuspecting realtor to his death.
Chaudhary had also taken extensive measures to avoid detection during his 90-kilometre journey from Pune to the fort on the morning of June 18, Reported PTI.
"Chaudhary travelled to Lohagad Fort on the morning of June 18. He chose a scooter over a car as he feared the car could be detected at a toll plaza. We have seized the scooter," a police officer said, adding that Chaudhary returned to Pune on the same two-wheeler after the crime.
Furthermore, investigators discovered that Chaudhary altered his clothing at the site to avoid drawing attention. "He climbed the fort wearing a hoodie. Later, he removed it and remained in a black T-shirt. While leaving, he put on the hoodie again," the official noted.
During interrogations, both suspects admitted they had previously visited the fort to select a location and conduct "practice" runs. "We are yet to ascertain which other spot they had practised at," the official added.
As part of the widening investigation into the conspiracy, police on Saturday questioned Goyal’s father, mother, and brother at length and recorded their formal statements, PTI reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
