Pune fort murder case: Siya, Chetan turned on each other, later accepted crime

Police said Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary discussed the alleged plot at a cafe a day before Ketan Agarwal died at Lohagad Fort. Officials said the case shifted from an accidental death to suspected murder after inconsistencies, CCTV footage and digital evidence surfaced.

In Short

• Ketan died after falling into a gorge next to Lohagad Fort near Pune
• Official claim Siya later admitted plotting the conspiracy with Chetan
• CCTV showed Siya, Chetan meet at a cafe on June 17 before murder

After being arrested for hatching a conspiracy to kill Pune-based realtor, Ketan Agarwal, accused duo Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary initially attempted to shift the blame onto each other during questioning, a police official involved in the investigation said.

The official said such behaviour is commonly seen during interrogations when accused persons try to distance themselves from a crime. However, officials later claimed that Siya admitted to having planned the conspiracy, while Chetan was also involved in the murder plan.

"Initially, both (Siya and Chetan) tried to shift the blame onto each other, which is a common tendency among criminals during interrogation. However, Siya eventually admitted that she hatched the conspiracy and Chetan was also involved in the planning," the police official told news agency PTI.

The police probe into the death of 25-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal at Pune's Lohagad Fort has revealed that the conspiracy was discussed during a meeting between Siya and Chetan at a cafe on June 17, a day before Agarwal died after being pushed into a gorge, according to police.

CCTV footage accessed by India Today TV showed Siya and Chetan entering the cafe at around 4.35 pm and leaving nearly an hour later at around 5.30 pm. Police said the two discussed the plan during the meeting and that Siya had shared details about Lohagad Fort with Chetan after researching the location through YouTube videos.

Agarwal, director and Chief Marketing Officer of his family-run real estate company Success Group, died on June 18 while he was on a trek to Lohagad Fort with his fiancee Siya. The couple had got engaged earlier this year and were scheduled to get married in November, with their families reportedly planning a wedding in Rajasthan.

Initially, the incident was registered as an accidental death. According to Siya's statement to police, Ketan slipped while the couple was taking photographs near the edge of the fort amid strong winds. Rescue teams recovered his body after a three-hour operation.

However, officials later began examining the case as a suspected murder after finding inconsistencies in Siya's account and analysing CCTV footage, digital evidence and other details gathered during the probe.

According to police, the investigation took a new turn after footage showed a hooded man near the couple on the Lohagad Fort trail. Police subsequently focused on the possibility that Agarwal's fall was not accidental but part of a planned act.

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