Pune: CCTV footage showing a hooded man, later identified as Chetan Chaudhary, trailing Ketan Agarwal and his fiancee Siya Goyal at Lohagad Fort near Pune alerted cops probing the businessman’s death, police said Wednesday.
Police found it unusual that the man was wearing a hoodie despite the temperature being around 33 degrees Celsius, and his overall suspicious movements prompted them to probe Ketan’s death further, which initially appeared to be a tragic trekking accident.
In a deadly twist to what would have been a dream wedding, police Tuesday said 26-year-old Ketan, who died while on a trek June 18, was allegedly pushed into the gorge by his fiancee Siya (20) and her lover Chetan (22).
Ketan Agarwal, who was engaged to Siya earlier this year, died after falling from a cliff at the historic fort June 18. The incident was initially registered as an accidental death, with Siya informing the victim’s family that he had slipped during the trek.
“While investigating the case, we stumbled upon certain circumstances surrounding the incident that raised suspicion and prompted a deeper probe. We checked CCTV cameras installed at the ticket counter of the fort, where we spotted Ketan and Siya walking together,” said a police officer who was part of the probe.
While examining the footage minutely, police noticed a man who was a few metres behind Ketan and Siya.
“The man was wearing shorts and a hoodie. The front part of the hoodie was pulled so low that his face could not be seen. Additionally, the man was wearing a headset over the hoodie. In another footage clip, we noticed Siya suddenly looking back and, at the same time, the man in the hoodie suddenly sitting down,” the official said.
He said they later checked the temperature of that particular time on June 18 and found out that it was 33 degrees Celsius and wondered why would anyone wear a hoodie in such heat.
The officer said police could not immediately inquire about the couple as Ketan’s family was grieving, but during the probe, it was learnt from Ketan’s uncle that Siya had earlier expressed reservations about the marriage and had once asked whether the wedding could be postponed by a year.
Siya and Ketan got engaged in February and were scheduled to get married in a grand wedding ceremony at Udaipur in November, for which a palace had been booked.
“During inquiries with Ketan’s sister, Sanjana, and other family members, we came to know that Siya had repeatedly persuaded Agarwal to accompany her to Lohagad Fort on multiple occasions before the fatal incident. On May 31, Siya had taken Ketan to Lohagad Fort. She again insisted that he go to Lohagad Fort on June 4. However, Ketan’s mother did not allow him to go there a second time,” the officer said.
He said Siya and Chetan wanted to “eliminate” Ketan before she and the businessman were scheduled to leave for Bali for a pre-wedding photoshoot. That trip did not materialise as Ketan’s passport mysteriously went missing before the trip.
Siya once again insisted that Ketan go to Lohagad on June 14. On that day, she allegedly tried to push Ketan off the cliff. However, he managed to hold on to a bush. When Ketan wondered why he had been pushed, she raised a false alarm about a snake and tried to make it appear that she had protected him, the officer said.
He added that following these developments, investigators widened the probe and analysed technical evidence, including call detail records and digital communication data.
According to him, scrutiny of Siya’s call records showed extensive communication between her and a contact who turned out to be her lover, Chetan Chaudhary.
“We found thousands of calls exchanged between the two over an extended period, including several conversations lasting for hours.
“The technical analysis established a close connection between the duo and pointed towards a well-thought-out conspiracy. We then examined photographs and social media profiles linked to Chaudhary. A comparison of those images with CCTV footage from the fort showing a hooded individual in the area helped police narrow their focus on him,” he said.
He added that based on the technical evidence and intelligence gathered by the Lonavala Rural Police Station and the Local Crime Branch (LCB), teams traced and detained Chaudhary for questioning. “During interrogation, we connected all the dots, which revealed a premeditated conspiracy involving Siya and Chetan,” he said.
Police said the motive appeared to stem from Siya’s relationship with Chetan and her unwillingness to proceed with the marriage to Ketan.
“During the interrogation, Chetan was asked why they did not consider running away and instead chose to eliminate Ketan. According to him, Siya was not in favour of calling off the engagement and eloping with Chetan, as she thought doing so would bring disrespect to her family,” he said.
Police subsequently arrested both Siya and Chaudhary and booked them on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.
Ketan, a resident of Gahunje in Pune district, was a director and chief marketing officer Success Group, the family-run real estate business. He had done MS in Entrepreneurship, while Siya held a degree in commerce from a private college.
