Pune man, who died while taking pic on fort, pushed by fiancée: Cops

Ketan Vishal Agarwal's death at Pune's Lohagad Fort, initially believed to be an accidental fall, is now being investigated as a suspected murder. Police suspect his fiancee and another man may have conspired to push him into the valley.

In Short

• Ketan Agarwal fell about 350 feet during an outing with fiancee, friends
• Police first believed he slipped while taking photographs near the edge
• Questioning reportedly raised doubts after his fiancee withheld some information

The death of 25-year-old Ketan Vishal Agarwal at Pune's iconic Lohagad Fort, initially believed to be the result of an accidental fall, is turning out to be a chilling murder allegedly planned by his fiancee. Investigators believe that Ketan Agarwal was pushed down a valley by his fiancee, Siya Goyal, and her lover, Chetan Chaudhary, both of whom have been arrested.

Police also believe that Agarwal's June 18 death was in fact Siya and Chetan's second attempt to murder him and came four days after a similar plan to kill him failed. On both occasions, the two wanted to pass his death off as an accident.

Agarwal died after falling around 350 feet into a gorge at Lohagad Fort during a trip with his fiancee and friends. The group had visited the fort to celebrate her birthday on June 20 ahead of the couple's planned wedding next month.

According to the initial probe, Siya, 20, was allegedly in a relationship with a man named Chetan Chaudhary, 22. She allegedly did not want to marry Ketan, who had been chosen by her family. As a result, she allegedly planned his murder with Chetan because she considered Ketan an obstacle to their relationship.

FIRST MURDER ATTEMPT FAILED

On May 31, Ketan Agarwal and Siya Goyal went on a trek to Lohagad Fort. During this visit, Siya allegedly first conceived the plan to kill Ketan. Police claim she and her alleged accomplice later made another attempt to execute it.

On June 14, they allegedly took Ketan to Lohagad and tried to push him into the valley by creating fear of a snake attack. However, Ketan did not suspect anything, and the attempt allegedly failed.

Later, Siya allegedly planned another trek to Lohagad on June 18. During this visit, Chetan Chaudhary was allegedly called to the spot from behind, and Ketan Agarwal was pushed from the fort, resulting in his death.

Police say their investigation has concluded that the incident was not an accident but a planned murder.

A family member of Ketan Agarwal said the couple were supposed to travel to Bali before their wedding.

However, after all travel arrangements had been completed, Siya allegedly told Ketan during the journey that she had lost her passport, forcing them to cancel the trip.

The family member further said that Ketan had planned a birthday celebration for Siya at a luxury resort in Mahabaleshwar and had booked around 40 rooms for the event.

Before that, Siya had planned a pre-wedding photoshoot at Lohagad. The family said they were shocked to learn that Ketan's death was not accidental but was allegedly a murder.

According to police, Siya allegedly tore up and threw away her passport in the washroom of a hotel where they had stopped for breakfast, leading to the cancellation of the Bali trip.

DIGITAL TRAIL RAISES SUSPICION

Police said the direction of the investigation changed after they found that Agarwal's fiancee was allegedly withholding certain information during questioning. The police subsequently examined her mobile phone records, social media activity and other technical evidence.

The incident occurred shortly before the couple's wedding. June 20 was Siya's birthday, and Agarwal had organised the trip as a special celebration ahead of their marriage.

According to information available, Agarwal's family had been preparing for a grand wedding in Jaipur, including booking a palace venue and making arrangements for guests.

When the incident first came to light, police believed Agarwal had lost his balance while taking photographs near the edge of the valley. He suffered severe injuries after the fall, and the case was initially treated as an accidental death.

However, investigators said subsequent findings led them to suspect foul play, prompting them to treat the case as a murder investigation.

- Ends