PUNE, MAHARASHTRA — What initially appeared to be a tragic accident during a birthday celebration at Pune’s historic Lohagad Fort has been exposed as a cold-blooded murder. Pune Rural Police have arrested 26-year-old Siya Goyal and her 22-year-old lover, Chetan Babulal Chaudhary, for the calculated killing of businessman Ketan Vishal Agarwal.
The Illusion of Grief
The incident occurred on June 18, which coincided with Siya Goyal’s birthday. According to initial reports provided by the accused, Ketan Agarwal (26), a prominent real estate businessman, had slipped and fallen into a 350-to-400-foot-deep gorge due to heavy winds.
To bolster the narrative of a tragic accident, Goyal took to Instagram, sharing a series of romantic videos and a heart-wrenching tribute. “You left me on my birthday. We were so close to getting married. Why did you leave me?” she wrote in a post that garnered widespread public sympathy. “I had dreams; there are questions for which I will never find answers.”
A Deadly Conspiracy
However, the façade began to crumble under police scrutiny. A complaint filed by the victim’s father, Vishal Agarwal, prompted an intensive investigation by the Pune Rural Police.
Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill stated that investigators found persistent and glaring inconsistencies in Goyal’s account of the events. Under rigorous interrogation, the investigation took a decisive turn when Chetan Chaudhary, a resident of Kondhwa, was taken into custody. Chaudhary eventually confessed that the fall was not an accident but a planned execution.
The Motive
Investigations reveal that the couple had been engaged since February and were planning a lavish wedding this November at a ₹17-crore palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Despite the high-profile arrangements, police sources indicate that Goyal was deeply unhappy with the impending marriage.
Goyal and Chaudhary, who were involved in a romantic relationship, allegedly viewed Ketan Agarwal as a hurdle in their future together. The duo reportedly lured the victim to the remote location of Lohagad Fort under a pretext, where they conspired to push him from behind into the gorge, effectively silencing him.
Legal Proceedings
The Pune Rural Police have charged both individuals under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for murder and criminal conspiracy.
Following their arrest, the court has remanded both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary to seven days of police custody. As authorities continue to piece together the events leading up to June 18, this case serves as a grim example of how digital narratives can be weaponized to obscure violent crime.
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