One of Maharashtra’s most popular tourist destinations, Lohagad Fort, with a history spanning over 2000 years, witnessed a tragic incident after Siya Goyal (20), fiancée of Ketan Agarwal (26), pushed him from the Lohagad Fort,t culminating in his death. Engaged and prepared to tie the knot in November, hopes of a beautiful future ahead soon crumbled down.
Ketan Agarwal was a director in his family’s real estate business. Siya, however, is a student at a college in Pune.
Ketan Agarwal’s body was found on 18Th June, the same day as the incident. According to the rescue team, it is known that Ketan’s head suffered fatal injuries.
Initially, Siya stated that it was an accident and that Ketan fell into the gorge while capturing photographs. But soon, a murderous angle unfolded after Agarwal’s family suspected Siya’s involvement in it.
Alleged Motive Behind the Killing
Further probe into the case revealed that Siya wasn’t interested in marrying the billionaire realtor. Instead, she was having an affair with Chetan Chaudhury, with whom she wanted to settle down. Chetan had requested her to wait for three years so that he could build his career and then they would settle down. But confronting their families regarding this seemed to be a difficult task for them.
Siya also told the police that she asked Ketan to call off the wedding,g but he denied. But police found her claims misleading as their chat history showed that they were interacting like a normal couple.
Police investigations, CCTV footage and suspicious statements hinted at something deeper. Based on this, the police arrested Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhury on June 23. They shall remain in police custody till June 29.
Planning the murder
Siya Goyal did not conspire to kill her fiané, alone. Instead, she took Chetan Chaudhury, her alleged lover, as her partner in crime. Subsequent police enquiries revealed that the murder was jointly planned. It was disclosed that the pair had been plotting this since February.
The duo had devised several plans to murder Agarwal. In her first attempt, Siya Goyal took Ketan Agarwal to the fort as part of her birthday arrangement. She then orchestrated her plan to push him from the fort, but he survived by clinging to the side of the cliff. Immediately, she pretended to see a snake and broke down, hugging him to avoid any kind of suspicion.
Since their first plan failed, Siya took a second chance and took Ketan to Lohagad Fort once again, but this time her lover, Chetan,n accompanied them too.
Chetan rode on a scooter to the fort. It was strategically done to avoid any kind of trails that could have been found through toll plaza records. Chetan disguised himself in a black hoodie, covering his face as well, to conceal his identity.
Ketan was obviously oblivious of this fact. Siya signalled Chetan of the correct moment, keeping a safe distance from Ketan. Chetan then took the opportunity of that moment and instantly pushed Ketan off the cliff, and he fell into the gorge below.
Evidence found by the investigators
According to sources, an individual wearing a black hoodie was caught in the CCTV footage. It is believed to have been Chetan. Their mobile phones were tracked, and it revealed that the accused were present in the location at the same time. Continuous calls were exchanged between them. Their Google search history reveals that the two had even searched for ways to kill someone on the internet. To erase all evidence that may serve as proof, they deleted their entire chat history. Officials reported that their devices were sent to the forensic laboratory to retrieve that data.
Sources reveal that the pair devised such a gruesome plan to buy some time. They expected not to get caught. Both families would be mourning Ketan’s death, and would not immediately look forward to getting Siya married off. Meanwhile, Chetan would utilise this time to build his career.
However, during the investigation, each denied being responsible and shifted the blame onto the other.
To establish the true sequence of events, the police took Siya Goyal to the location to reconstruct the scene using her as a dummy for investigation. Every little detail was recreated to understand how the murder was committed. The accused revealed that they visited the fort quite a few times to pick a suitable spot for committing the crime.
Government Responds to Family’s Appeals
Devendra Fadnavis met the Victim’s father, Vishal Agarwal, in Pune,e who demanded a death penalty.T Thereafter, Fadnavis appointed Senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor.
Fadnavis commented that the severe punishment will be borne by the convicted. He reflected on this incident and said that the public should view this from a social perspective and try to understand why children are developing such horrifying thinking.
Siya’s own parents stated that she should be severely punished if found guilty. In the aftermath of this tragedy, prompting widespread reactions online, social media users coined a nickname for the Lohagad Fort- “Siya Point”.
References:
- https://www.ndtv.com
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- https://www.news18.coml
- https://www.thehindu.com