In a chilling twist to what was supposed to be a dreamy wedding, a 26-year-old Pune businessman was allegedly murdered in a meticulously planned conspiracy, with police accusing his fiancée and her alleged lover of pushing him into a gorge during a trek at Lohagad Fort.
The victim, Ketan Agarwal, a director of a real estate firm, died after falling into the gorge at the popular hill fort near Pune on June 18. Initially treated as a trekking mishap, the case took a dramatic turn after investigators uncovered what they described as a premeditated murder plot allegedly hatched by Ketan's fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her alleged boyfriend, Chetan Choudhary.
A sabotaged passport, a cancelled abroad trip and a fatal trek
More shocking revelations have come to light about the conspiracy hatched by Siya to lead her fiance away from a Bali trip and to the Pune fort.
According to the police investigation, Ketan's fiancée, Siya Goyal, allegedly stole his passport ahead of their planned trip to Bali and destroyed it by tearing it apart and flushing the pieces down a hotel washroom. This was on June 6, when Ketan, his sister, Siya and her brother were headed to Mumbai airport for a vacation to Bali.
Ketan had planned to celebrate his pre-wedding festivities as well as Siya's birthday on the island. However, after the passport went missing, the couple had to abandon heir travel plans just as they were heading to the airport and return home. Cops now believe the missing passport was part of a larger conspiracy to isolate and manipulate Ketan.
A previous murder attempt at same location
Police say the alleged plot had been in the making for weeks. Ketan and Siya got engaged in Pune in February 2026. On May 31, the couple visited Lohagad Fort for the first time. During the investigation, police allegedly discovered that Siya and her boyfriend, Chetan Choudhary, had begun plotting Ketan's murder around this period.
The probe further revealed that Siya repeatedly insisted on taking Ketan to Lohagad Fort despite objections from his family. On June 14, she allegedly attempted to push him from a height, but Ketan managed to save himself by holding onto a tree. Siya later allegedly told him that she had pushed him only to save him from a snake nearby.
Investigators claim that Siya did not give up. Ahead of her birthday on June 19, she once again persuaded Ketan to accompany her to Lohagad Fort.
When Ketan's father initially objected, Siya reportedly made a video call to Ketan's mother and convinced the family to allow the trip. Ironically, Ketan's family had already booked a luxury resort in Mahabaleshwar to celebrate Siya's birthday on June 19 and had sent out invitations to relatives and friends.
According to police, on June 18, Chetan Choudhary travelled on a two-wheeler to the foothills of Lohagad Fort and was captured on CCTV footage walking either ahead of or behind Ketan and Siya as they climbed the fort.
Coded signal for the final act
Siya and Chetan had allegedly devised a coded signal for carrying out the murder. As per the alleged plan, Siya would lead Ketan to the highest point of the fort and sit down once she believed the moment was right. That act, police say, was meant to signal Chetan to push Ketan off the cliff.
The murder, police claim, was carried out on June 18, a day before Siya's birthday celebrations that Ketan's family had painstakingly planned.
The tragedy has devastated the Agarwal family. Ketan's grandfather, Devi Agarwal, had reportedly purchased a diamond necklace as a birthday gift for Siya. The family was also preparing to book a palace in Udaipur for Ketan and Siya's wedding.
Now, instead of planning a wedding, Ketan's father Vishal Agarwal, mother Rakhi Agarwal and grandfather, Devi Agarwal are seeking justice. The family has demanded that the case be tried in a fast-track court. While Ketan's grandfather breaks down repeatedly while speaking about his grandson, his mother and relatives say, has cried so much that her tears have run dry.
Both accused were arrested and produced before a court in Maval taluka of Pune district on Tuesday. The court remanded them to police custody till June 29 as the probe moves further.
