Pune: In a deadly twist to what would have been a dream wedding, police on Tuesday said a 26-year-old Pune businessman who died while on a trek was allegedly pushed into a gorge by his fiancée and her lover.
Both have been arrested for pushing real estate firm director Ketan Agarwal into the gorge at Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18, police said.
Earlier, it was presumed that Ketan, who succumbed to his injuries, accidentally fell into the gorge while taking photos, police said.
Ketan went trekking to Lohagad with his fiancée, Siya Goyal, on June 18 to celebrate her birthday. The couple was set to marry in November, police said.
The families had reportedly booked a palace in Rajasthan for Rs 17 crore and arranged two private planes to fly guests.
Siya initially told police that Ketan slipped and fell into the gorge while posing for photos. A rescue team retrieved his body after a three-hour operation.
Police on Tuesday said that Siya and her lover Chetan Babulal Chaudhary (22) pushed Ketan to his death and tried to pass it off as an accident.
It was initially believed to be a case of an accidental fall, but the investigation pointed to a murder conspiracy, police said.
Ketan, a resident of Gahunje in Pune district and director of a family-run real estate business, fell nearly 400 feet into the gorge while taking photographs amid strong winds at the fort, police had said.
An accidental death report was registered after Siya told the Lonavala rural police that Ketan slipped and fell while the couple was on an outing at the hill fort.
Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandip Singh Gill, said on Tuesday that the circumstances surrounding the death appeared suspicious, which prompted police to investigate the case thoroughly.
“Our teams examined multiple angles, including financial disputes and personal relationships. During the probe, police found that Siya was in a relationship with Chaudhary, a resident of Kondhwa in Pune,” he said.
The investigation showed that Siya was unwilling to marry Ketan and considered him an obstacle to her relationship with Chaudhary, police said.
The two allegedly conspired to eliminate Ketan, and as part of the plan, Siya took him to Lohagad Fort under the pretext of an outing, while Chaudhary was called to the spot later, police said.
The duo then allegedly pushed Ketan off the fort, leading to his death, police said.
Based on suspicion, the local crime branch took Chaudhary into custody. During interrogation, it emerged that since Ketan was becoming an obstacle in Chaudhary’s relationship with Siya, they plotted to eliminate him.
“Our investigation found that Chaudhary had reached the fort before the couple arrived. He subsequently followed them to an isolated spot, where he and Siya allegedly pushed Ketan Agarwal into the valley, resulting in his death,” Gill said.
Siya was also arrested based on Chaudhary’s interrogation, police said.
“Following a complaint lodged by Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, the Lonavala rural police registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on Tuesday,” Gill said.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Ketan’s father Vishal Agarwal said, “When the police came with my son’s body, Siya did not show any reaction. There was no sadness on her face.”
He further alleged that Siya had earlier sabotaged a planned pre-wedding trip to Bali.
According to him, Siya, Ketan, her brother and Ketan’s sister were travelling to Mumbai airport for a flight to Indonesia, carrying all four passports in a single pouch.
“At a food mall in Lonavala, Siya returned to the car on the pretext of fetching her phone. When they later reached the airport, Ketan’s passport was missing from the pouch, forcing them to cancel the trip,” Agarwal claimed.
He said that after the trip to Bali was cancelled, Siya fought with Ketan and insisted that they go to Lohagad.
“On June 14, Siya and Ketan had gone to the same spot at Lohagad Fort from where he was later pushed. At the time, he managed to save himself by holding on to nearby bushes. When Ketan realised he had been pushed, Siya raised a false alarm about a snake and claimed she had pushed him only to protect him. Looking back, I believe there was an attempt to kill Ketan even on June 14,” Agarwal alleged.
He further said he suspected the Goyal family was aware of the conspiracy from the beginning and may have played a role in it.
Agarwal also claimed that the Goyal family had approached them with a marriage proposal and insisted that Siya and Ketan make a good match.
Ketan had completed an MS in Entrepreneurship, while Siya held a degree in commerce from a private college.
Further investigation is underway to establish the exact sequence of events, collect forensic evidence and determine if other persons were involved in the murder conspiracy, police said.
Lohagad Fort is linked to the history of the Maratha Empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is one of the 12 forts in Maharashtra listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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