PUNE: What began as a friendship at a Diwali party last year allegedly culminated in a carefully planned murder at Lohagad Fort, according to Pune Rural Police investigating the death of businessman Ketan Agarwal.Police claim accused Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary first met at a Diwali gathering in 2025 and gradually developed a close relationship. Over the following months, the two remained in constant touch, allegedly exchanging more than 2,000 phone calls as their friendship deepened.The two accused are currently in seven-day police custody, remanded till June 29 by a Wadgaon Maval court.From Diwali to a death planBy the time Siya got engaged to Ketan in February this year, she was already in regular contact with Chetan. Investigators say the two exchanged thousands of calls over several months, with several conversations stretching for hours.Police claim that at some point, the two began meeting at cafes to discuss eliminating Ketan and scouting locations at Lohagad Fort where he could be pushed.Three attempts before the fatal pushThe first alleged attempt came on May 31, when Siya took Ketan to Lohagad and, according to police, tried to push him off a cliff after noticing him seated near the edge. He survived, grabbing onto a bush. Siya allegedly shouted about a snake, framing the push as a protective reflex.With a Bali pre-wedding shoot scheduled for June 6, investigators believe the couple was racing against a deadline. During the group’s drive to Mumbai airport, Siya allegedly returned alone to the car at a Lonavala mall stop — and Ketan’s passport subsequently went missing from a shared pouch, forcing the trip’s cancellation.A second attempt on June 4 was thwarted when Ketan’s mother refused to let him go back to the fort. A third attempt on June 14 was abandoned due to heavy footfall on the trail, being a Sunday.June 18: The fatal trekOn June 18 — a day before Siya’s birthday — she insisted on another trek to Lohagad. The couple left Gahunje around 8:30am. Chetan, wearing a hoodie despite 33-degree heat, was already waiting at the foothills. CCTV footage later captured him trailing the couple up the fort, his face obscured, sitting down abruptly the moment Siya glanced back.At a secluded cliff edge, both Siya and Chetan allegedly pushed Ketan into the 350-foot gorge. Siya then raised an alarm, told the family he had slipped while posing for a photograph, and posted an emotional birthday tribute to him on social media the following day.Ketan’s family didn’t buy it. An experienced trekker, they told police, wouldn’t simply slip. A murder case was registered after the family lodged a formal complaint.The hoodie that broke the caseCops reviewing CCTV footage from the fort’s ticket counter flagged the hooded figure. Cross-referencing his images with Siya’s call records — which showed a contact she was in near-constant communication with — police identified and detained Chetan Chaudhary. Both confessed during interrogation.Ketan Agarwal, 26, was a director and chief marketing officer at Success Group, his family’s real estate business. He held an MS in Entrepreneurship. The November wedding had been in full planning; his family said no date had been formally fixed despite reports of a grand venue booking.Cops say the motive was rooted in Siya’s unwillingness to marry Ketan while also not wanting to elope with Chetan because of concerns about family honour.
