BB Desk
Ketan Vishal Agarwal was only 26. A young businessman from a respected family who stood at the threshold of a new life. His engagement to Siya Goyal, 20, had taken place in February. Wedding preparations were underway. Palace and private jets were booked. Families who had known each other for decades were preparing for celebrations. Dreams were being stitched together with promises of a future that seemed bright and certain.
No one imagined that within a few months a simple trek to Lohagad Fort would become the final chapter of Ketan’s life and his name would dominate headlines across Maharashtra, not as a groom-to-be, but as the victim in a murder investigation.
The Day Everything Changed
On June 18, Ketan travelled to Lohagad Fort near Lonavala with Siya and others during what appeared to be a casual outing connected to her birthday celebrations. The morning air at Lohagad Fort was cool and misty. Ketan stood near the edge, smiling, unaware that he was just moments away from death. Siya was standing nearby. To anyone watching, they looked like a happy couple on a trek – laughing, taking photos, planning their future.
But something was wrong.
The Trip wasn’t spontaneous. It has been planned. Siya had lured Ketan to the fort only to get rid of him. She was allegedly in a relationship with another man identified as 22-year-old Chetan Babulal Chaudhary and viewed Ketan as an obstacle and so she chose a horrifying solution of pushing Ketan off the cliff….
Ketan fell nearly 300–400 feet into the gorge below, his life ending in seconds.
When news first emerged, it seemed like a heartbreaking accident. A tragic slip, a misstep during the trek, strong winds perhaps. Siya told her version of events carefully constructed, calm, and believable. Rescue teams recovered Ketan’s body after a difficult operation. Friends, relatives, and well-wishers mourned what appeared to be a cruel twist of fate. But something didn’t add up. Ketan was an experienced trekker, his family insisted. He wouldn’t just slip like that. Doubt grew, questions followed, and the truth slowly began to surface.
Family’s Instincts Altered the Course of Investigations
Ketan’s Father Vishal Agarwal first became suspicious when he did not see any emotional reaction from Siya when Ketan’s body arrived home. She was his fiancée yet there was no reaction. Ketan’s sister also grew suspicious after speaking to Siya in the aftermath of the tragedy when she provided inconsistent answers to the questions raised. Certain details began to haunt the family like Ketan’s missing passport while leaving for Bali trip, Siya’s insistence to go to Lohagad fort again and again, Siya pushing Ketan on 14th June under the guise of saving him from a snake but luckily he escapes the fall by grabbing a bush. Family’s doubts led investigators to go through phone records, digital evidence, timelines, personal relationships, financial details, and inconsistencies and the police began to connect the dots.
Vital Clues that Cracked the Murder
- The fact that Ketan was an experienced trekker and unlikely to accidentally lose his footing where he fell prompted a deeper investigation rather than treating his death as a simple accident.
- Phone records (Around 2,004 calls and 238 hours of communication between Siya and Chetan over several months) suggested the duo was in a relationship and possible planning.
- Inconsistencies in Siya’s account of what happened and family’s allegations that she tried to lure Ketan to the same fort previously too, indicating there may have been earlier attempts to harm him.
- CCTV footage showed a man wearing a hoodie in 33°C heat, trying to conceal his identity while following Ketan and Siya near the fort. Investigators found the clothing suspicious and later identified the man as Chetan Chaudhary.
- Police found that Chaudhary had left his own phone behind and allegedly used someone else’s device on the day of the incident, apparently to avoid location tracking. His phone showed almost no internet activity for about 10 hours and that raised suspicion.
These pieces of evidence reportedly led police to conclude that Ketan Agarwal’s death was the result of a planned murder rather than a trekking accident. Both accused involved in the case have been arrested on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy under relevant sections of BNS and remanded to 7 days police custody.
In a statement given to the media, Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill of Pune rural said the investigation looked at multiple angles and established Siya was in a relationship with Chetan and viewed Ketan as an obstacle. The two allegedly conspired to kill Ketan. Siya took him to Lohagad Fort under the pretext of an outing, while Chetan was called to the spot later and they then pushed him off the fort.
During interrogation, when asked why such an extreme step? Chetan reportedly confessed that Siya was unwilling to break off her engagement and elope because she feared the social consequences and bringing disrespect to her family. That established the motive behind the tragedy.
