Cancelled Bali Trip, Snakebite Claims, Hoodie In 33°C Heat: Clues That Exposed Siya

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Ketan Agarwal’s death at Lohagad Fort initially ruled accidental fall.
• Family doubts prompted deeper police probe, uncovering staged murder.
• CCTV showed Siya Goyal’s lover, Chetan Chaudhary, planning the crime.

Pune Rural Police have detained an employee of accused Chetan Chaudhary for questioning in connection with the murder of businessman Ketan Vishal Agarwal, sources said.

The employee has been identified as Neeraj Kumar, who has worked at Chaudhary’s shop for the past three years.

Investigators are examining whether Chaudhary used Kumar’s mobile phone on June 18, the day Ketan died after falling into a valley at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala.

Police Probe Alleged Use Of Employee’s Phone

According to police sources, Chaudhary allegedly took Kumar’s phone and carried it with him to Lohagad Fort on June 18.

Police suspect that Chaudhary may have used the phone to contact co-accused Siya Goyal several times. The allegation is being examined as part of the investigation into the sequence of events surrounding Ketan’s death.

Earlier, investigators had found that Chaudhary had allegedly left his own mobile phone at his residence in Kondhwa before travelling to the fort. Police believe this may have been an attempt to avoid digital tracking.

CCTV footage and call detail records were later used by investigators to reconstruct his movements, police said.

Siya, Chetan Questioned Face To Face

Police sources said Goyal and Chaudhary were questioned intensively until late at night.

Investigators examined them on all aspects of the case and also questioned the two face to face to verify details linked to the alleged sequence of events.

Police are preparing to make Kumar an important witness in the case, sources said.

From ‘Accidental Fall’ To Murder Probe

Ketan had gone to Lohagad Fort with his fiancée, Siya Goyal, on June 18 for a birthday outing. Siya was due to turn 20 the following day.

Goyal initially told police that Ketan slipped while taking photographs near the fort and fell into a valley. An accidental death report was registered at first.

However, Ketan’s family questioned the account, saying he was an experienced trekker who knew the terrain and had visited the fort earlier.

The concerns led police to examine CCTV footage, mobile location data and the movements of people at the fort that day.

Hoodie Clue Led Police To Chetan

Police said a key lead emerged from CCTV footage at the foothills of Lohagad Fort, which showed a person in a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head and wearing headphones.

Senior Police Inspector Dinesh Tayade and his team checked weather records and found that the temperature on the morning of June 18 was 33 degrees Celsius.

The clothing drew suspicion because of the heat. Police later identified the person as Chaudhary, whom they described as Goyal’s lover.

“When we checked the June 18 temperature, it was 33 degrees Celsius that morning. During scrutiny of CCTV footage from the foothills, we noticed a person wearing a hoodie with his head covered and also wearing headphones. This raised suspicion because such clothing was unusual considering the weather conditions,” Tayade told HT.

Police Allege A Pre-Planned Crime

According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary had exchanged more than 2,000 phone calls over several months. Police also said the two met at a café before the incident and allegedly discussed how and where an “accident” could be staged at Lohagad Fort.

Police allege that Chaudhary reached the fort before Ketan and Goyal on June 18. Investigators say the two accused later led Ketan to an isolated part of the fort, where he was pushed into the valley.

Police are also examining an incident four days before Ketan’s death, when he and Goyal visited Lohagad Fort. Ketan’s father told investigators that Ketan felt someone push him from behind during that trek but survived by holding on to nearby shrubs.

Goyal reportedly told him she had seen a snake and was trying to help.

Engagement, Wedding Plans And Arrests

Ketan and Goyal got engaged in February and were due to marry in November. Their families had booked a palace in Udaipur for a wedding planned to cost ₹14 crore.

Police said Goyal and Chaudhary had allegedly been in a relationship for more than a year, which Ketan’s family did not know about.

Goyal and Chaudhary have been arrested and charged with murder and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. They have been remanded to seven days of police custody, according to PTI.

The investigation is continuing.