Pune rural police are examining conflicting claims by two arrested suspects in the killing of Gahunje-based realtor Ketan Vishal Agarwal, after his fiancée Siya Goyal and her alleged partner Chetan Chaudhary accused each other of planning the crime during custodial interrogation.
Agarwal, 26, died on June 18 after falling into a deep gorge at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala. What was first presented as a trekking mishap has now been treated as a murder and criminal conspiracy case, with investigators alleging that the fall was staged after the accused lured him to the fort under the pretext of an outing.
Police officers probing the case said the latest round of questioning has produced sharply different versions from the two accused. Goyal has allegedly claimed that Chaudhary planned and executed the killing, while Chaudhary has allegedly told investigators that Goyal pushed him into carrying out the act and was the main conspirator. The contradictory accounts have widened the inquiry into motive, planning and the sequence of events at the fort.
Investigators are now relying on call detail records, CCTV footage, mobile phone data and witness statements to test the rival claims. The case has drawn wide attention because of the relationship between the victim and Goyal, the alleged involvement of Chaudhary, and police claims that the killing followed sustained communication between the two accused over several months.
Agarwal was associated with his family’s real estate business in the Gahunje area near Pune. He was engaged to Goyal, and the families were preparing for their wedding. Police have alleged that Goyal was also in a relationship with Chaudhary and that the two had been in frequent contact before the killing. Investigators are examining whether Agarwal’s engagement, Goyal’s alleged relationship with Chaudhary, and pressure around the proposed marriage formed part of the motive.
The alleged plot began to unravel after Goyal’s first version of the incident came under scrutiny. She had reportedly claimed that Agarwal slipped while posing for a photograph at the fort. Police later found inconsistencies in her statement and examined CCTV footage that allegedly showed Chaudhary moving in the area despite initially not being part of the account given to investigators.
Call records have become central to the probe. Police have said Goyal and Chaudhary exchanged more than 2,000 calls between January and June and spent about 238 hours speaking to each other. Investigators are also checking whether online searches, messages and location data indicate prior planning. The alleged use of a picnic or trekking plan to bring Agarwal to Lohagad Fort is being examined as part of the conspiracy charge.
Police have also looked into claims that there may have been earlier attempts to harm Agarwal during visits to the same location. One line of inquiry concerns whether Goyal and Chaudhary had tested possible methods before June 18 and whether the final act was carried out after earlier efforts failed. Officers are expected to place the digital and forensic material before the court as the remand period progresses.
The accused were arrested after investigators concluded that the death was not accidental. They have been booked under provisions relating to murder and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and remanded to police custody till June 29. Police are expected to seek further directions depending on the recovery of electronic evidence and the outcome of custodial interrogation.
The case has also triggered public statements from the families of the accused. Chaudhary’s father has claimed his son is being falsely implicated and has accused Goyal of shifting blame to protect herself. Goyal’s mother has publicly said that her daughter should face strict punishment if found guilty. Police, however, are treating such statements as external to the evidentiary record and are focusing on material gathered from devices, witnesses and the crime scene.
Investigators are also checking whether anyone else had prior knowledge of the alleged relationship between Goyal and Chaudhary or of any plan to harm Agarwal. Political voices from the region have demanded a wider probe, but police have so far confirmed action only against the two arrested accused.
