Pune, Maharashtra – In a significant development in the investigation into the alleged murder of Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal, police are examining claims that the prime accused, Siya Goyal, had secretly married her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, months before Agarwal’s death.
Secret Marriage Allegations Surface
Sources privy to the investigation have revealed that police are scrutinizing digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats and call records, spanning the last six to seven months. These communications reportedly suggest that Goyal and Chaudhary solemnized their marriage approximately four months prior to the alleged murder of Agarwal, despite Goyal’s engagement to Agarwal having taken place in February. The couple allegedly kept this marriage hidden from both their families while continuing with wedding preparations for Goyal and Agarwal.
Investigators are actively working to trace a marriage certificate and recover deleted photographs from a private Instagram account that purportedly show Goyal and Chaudhary wearing wedding garlands. This evidence, if corroborated, could further support the claim of a secret wedding preceding Agarwal’s death.
The Lohagad Fort Incident
Ketan Agarwal, a 26-year-old realtor and the director and Chief Marketing Officer of his family’s real estate business, Success Group, died on June 18 after allegedly being pushed from a cliff at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala. Initially, the incident was treated as an accidental fall, with Goyal providing an account that Agarwal had slipped while taking photographs. However, inconsistencies in her statement and subsequent investigations by the Pune Rural Police led to the case being reclassified as a murder investigation.
Police have arrested both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary in connection with the alleged murder. Investigators suspect that the couple conspired to eliminate Agarwal to continue their relationship. Information received during custodial interrogation suggests that Goyal may have been reluctant to marry Agarwal due to family pressure and viewed him as an obstacle to her relationship with Chaudhary.
Evidence Gathering and Investigation
The investigation is heavily reliant on circumstantial and digital evidence, as there were no direct eyewitnesses to the alleged murder. Police have meticulously gathered CCTV footage, including from the Lohagad Fort’s ticket counter, and are analyzing recovered and deleted WhatsApp chats. A hooded man, later identified as Chaudhary, was seen in CCTV footage trailing Agarwal and Goyal at the fort, raising initial suspicions. The extensive call records between Goyal and Chaudhary, reportedly numbering over 2,000 between January and June, have also been a key focus for investigators.
In an effort to reconstruct the crime scene and verify the sequence of events, police conducted a crime scene reconstruction exercise at Lohagad Fort, using a dummy body to simulate the fall. Statements from several individuals, including an employee of Chaudhary’s shop who allegedly provided his mobile phone to Chaudhary on the day of the incident, have been recorded as part of the investigation.
Motive and Family Reactions
Investigators allege that the motive behind the murder was rooted in the conflict between the secret relationship and the family-arranged marriage. Reports indicate that some members of Goyal’s family may have been aware of her relationship with Chaudhary, but proceeded with the engagement to Agarwal due to financial disparities between the families. Agarwal’s father has reportedly rejected claims that a hair patch worn by his son could be a justification for murder, emphasizing that if Goyal had objections, she should have refused the marriage rather than allegedly conspiring to kill him.
Siya Goyal’s parents have publicly stated that if their daughter is found guilty, she should face the strictest punishment under the law. The case has sent shockwaves through Pune’s business circles, transforming what was anticipated to be a grand wedding into a tragic legal battle.
The Chenab Times News Desk