PUNE: The investigation into the murder of 26-year-old realtor Ketan Agrawal has revealed that the two accused allegedly rehearsed the crime multiple times before carrying out the killing, police said.The accused — Siya Goyal (20) and Chetan Chaudhary (22) — allegedly pushed Agrawal off a cliff at Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18, leading to his death.“The accused decided to kill Agrawal as they were unable to stop the arranged marriage due to social and family pressures, despite being in a relationship,” an officer said.The police investigation found that Goyal and Chaudhary first met at a Diwali party last October and soon entered into a relationship. Meanwhile, Goyal received a marriage proposal from Agrawal through a family acquaintance.Agrawal, who had recently returned from the US, was initially accepted by Goyal. However, police said she later became uncertain about the marriage and resumed communication with Chaudhary.Despite discussing her concerns with her brother, she allegedly could not find a way out after the engagement in February, police said.“They researched ways to commit murder and stage it as an accident, finalising their plan by May-end. We are currently examining their cellphone records,” the officer said.“The duo made an futile attempt on June 14. They then decided that Chaudhary would be physically present during the next attempt,” the officer added.According to multiple media reports Goyal also displayed ‘erratic behaviour’ before the couple (Siya and Ketan) travelled to the fort.Crime scene recreatedPune Rural Police on Sunday took the accused to Lohagad Fort to recreate the sequence of events, officials said.Pune Rural Police SP Sandeep Singh Gill said, “The accused have been taken to the Lohagad Fort, specifically to the spot where the incident occurred, to recreate the scene. The entire sequence of events is being reconstructed: the route taken, where the accused positioned themselves, the specific actions performed, and how the incident unfolded. The accused has provided details regarding this.”During the investigation, Lonavala Rural Police also seized Chaudhary’s two-wheeler, which was allegedly used to travel from Pune to Lohagad Fort.Police also recovered the hoodie and headphones that Chaudhary was allegedly wearing on the day of the incident. The seized items have been sent for forensic examination.Earlier, Goyal’s parents, Pravin Goyal and Pooja Goyal, visited the Lonavala police station for questioning.Police suspect that Goyal was unwilling to marry at this stage of her life and was allegedly under family pressure to marry Agrawal.Goyal and Chaudhary were arrested on June 23 and are currently in seven-day police custody till June 29 as the probe continues.Fast-track court announcedFollowing the incident, the Maharashtra government approved the setting up of a fast-track court and appointed senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case.The decision came after Agrawal’s father met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Pune and sought swift justice.The Chief Minister assured the family that strict action would be taken against the accused and that the case would be fast-tracked.
