Siya plotted murder, gave signal to Chetan before he pushed Ketan: Police

Police said Siya Goyal signalled Chetan Chaudhary to push Ketan Agarwal into a gorge at Lohagad Fort. Investigators said the accused later admitted to a planned killing allegedly driven by fear of family shame.

In Short

• During questioning, both accused first tried blaming each other for the death
• Police said sustained interrogation led both to reveal the planned sequence
• Investigators alleged the pair had twice earlier tried to kill Agarwal

Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal had no idea what was about to happen when he stood at the edge of Lohagad Fort on June 18. His fiance, Siya Goyal, allegedly gave a pre-arranged signal by sitting down, prompting her lover, Chetan Chaudhary, to walk up from behind and push the unsuspecting 25-year-old into a gorge, police said on Thursday.

The chilling details emerged during the interrogation of the two accused, who initially tried to blame each other before eventually admitting their roles in what investigators describe as a meticulously planned murder.

"Initially, both tried to shift the blame onto each other, which is a common tendency among criminals during interrogation. However, Siya eventually admitted that she hatched the conspiracy and Chetan was also involved in the planning," a police official associated with the investigation said.

According to the officer, Chaudhary, 22, first claimed he was present at the fort but had not gone to the exact spot where Agarwal was pushed and did not know what had happened.

"However, it was evident that he was lying," the official said, adding that sustained questioning eventually led both accused to reveal the sequence of events.

Police said the couple had worked out a simple but deadly plan before reaching the fort.

"As per the plan, Siya was to give a signal by sitting down, following which Chetan was to come up and push an unsuspecting Ketan to his death. They executed the plan exactly," the official said.

"They have told us what happened and how it happened. Ketan had no idea what was coming. He was pushed into the gorge before he realised anything," the officer added.

Investigators also questioned the accused about why they allegedly chose to kill Agarwal instead of eloping together. "They said eloping would have brought disrepute to their families," the official said.

Police have earlier claimed that the June 18 incident was not the couple's first attempt to eliminate Agarwal. According to investigators, Siya had taken Ketan to Lohagad Fort on two earlier occasions, where the duo allegedly tried to kill him but failed.

Agarwal and Goyal had got engaged earlier this year and were scheduled to marry at a palace in Udaipur in November. Police allege that while Goyal no longer wanted to marry him because of her relationship with Chaudhary, she was unwilling to call off the engagement or elope, fearing it would bring shame to her family.

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