Hoodie in summer helps cops crack Lohagad murder case; repeated bids come to light

A hoodie, in 33 degrees Celsius, reportedly gave the Pune police vital clue that eventually led to them cracking businessman Ketan Agarwal’s murder at Lohagad Fort, bringing back chilling memories of the Meghalaya “honeymoon murder case” of Raja Raghuvanshi in May last year.

When the Pune police scanned CCTV footage, they spotted a hooded man—later identified as Ketan’s fiancée Siya Goyal’s boyfriend Chetan Babulal Chaudhary—trailing Ketan and Siya at Lohagad Fort near Pune.

Police found it unusual that the man was wearing a hoodie despite the temperature being around 33 degrees Celsius, and his overall suspicious movements prompted them to probe Ketan’s death further, which initially appeared to be a tragic trekking accident.

How police became suspicious

Ketan, 26, who was engaged to Siya, 20, earlier this year, died after falling from a cliff at the historic fort on June 18. The incident was initially registered as an accidental death, with Siya informing Ketan’s family that he had slipped during the trek. A rescue team retrieved his body after a three-hour operation.

Also read: Pune businessman didn't fall to death, but was pushed by fiancée, say police

But police on Tuesday (June 23) revealed that Ketan was allegedly pushed into the gorge by Siya and Chetan (22). “While investigating the case, we stumbled upon certain circumstances surrounding the incident that raised suspicion and prompted a deeper probe. We checked CCTV cameras installed at the ticket counter of the fort, where we spotted Ketan and Siya walking together,” PTI quoted a police officer, who was part of the probe, as saying.

A hoodie in 33 degrees

While examining the footage minutely, police noticed a man who was a few metres behind Ketan and Siya.

“The man was wearing shorts and a hoodie. The front part of the hoodie was pulled so low that his face could not be seen. Additionally, the man was wearing a headset over the hoodie. In another footage clip, we noticed Siya suddenly looking back and, at the same time, the man in the hoodie suddenly sitting down,” the official said.

He said they later checked the temperature of that particular time on June 18 and found out that it was 33 degrees Celsius and wondered why would anyone wear a hoodie in such heat.

Repeated attempts

The officer said police could not immediately inquire about the couple as Ketan’s family was grieving, but during the probe, they learnt from Ketan’s uncle that Siya had earlier expressed reservations about the marriage and had once asked whether the wedding could be postponed by a year.

Siya and Ketan got engaged in February and were scheduled to get married in a grand wedding ceremony at Udaipur in November. The families had reportedly booked a palace in Rajasthan for Rs 17 crore and arranged two private planes to fly guests.

Also read: Meghalaya to Maharashtra to Munnar, why do people kill their spouses?

“During inquiries with Ketan’s sister, Sanjana, and other family members, we came to know that Siya had repeatedly persuaded Ketan to accompany her to Lohagad Fort on multiple occasions before the fatal incident. On May 31, Siya had taken Ketan to Lohagad Fort. She again insisted that he go to Lohagad Fort on June 4. However, Ketan’s mother did not allow him to go there a second time,” the officer said.

A ‘sabotaged’ Bali trip

He said Siya and Chetan wanted to “eliminate” Ketan before she and the businessman were scheduled to leave for Bali for a pre-wedding photoshoot. That trip did not materialise as Ketan’s passport mysteriously went missing on the way to the airport.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Ketan’s father Vishal Agarwal alleged that Siya had sabotaged the trip. According to him, Siya, Ketan, her brother and Ketan’s sister were travelling to Mumbai airport for a flight to Indonesia, carrying all four passports in a single pouch.

“At a food mall in Lonavala, Siya returned to the car on the pretext of fetching her phone. When they later reached the airport, Ketan’s passport was missing from the pouch, forcing them to cancel the trip,” Agarwal claimed.

Failed attempt

Agarwal said that after the trip to Bali was cancelled, Siya fought with Ketan and insisted that they go to Lohagad. On that day, too, she allegedly tried to push Ketan off the cliff. However, he managed to hold on to a bush. When Ketan wondered why he had been pushed, she raised a false alarm about a snake and tried to make it appear that she had protected him, the officer said.

“On June 14, Siya and Ketan went to the same spot at Lohagad Fort, from where he was later pushed. At the time, he managed to save himself by holding on to nearby bushes. When Ketan realised he had been pushed, Siya raised a false alarm about a snake and claimed she had pushed him only to protect him. Looking back, I believe there was an attempt to kill Ketan even on June 14,” Agarwal alleged.

Also read: 'Mangalsutra', ring left behind at homestay helped police crack Meghalaya murder case: DGP

“When the police came with my son’s body, Siya did not show any emotion. There was no sadness on her face,” he alleged. Agarwal further said he suspected the Goyal family was aware of the conspiracy from the beginning and may have played a role in it. Agarwal also claimed that the Goyal family had approached them with a marriage proposal and insisted that Siya and Ketan make a good match.

Hours of call record

Following these revelations by Ketan’s family, investigators widened the probe and analysed technical evidence, including call detail records and digital communication data. According to the officer, scrutiny of Siya’s call records showed extensive communication between her and a contact who turned out to be Chetan.

“We found thousands of calls exchanged between the two over an extended period, including several conversations lasting for hours.

“The technical analysis established a close connection between the duo and pointed towards a well-thought-out conspiracy. We then examined photographs and social media profiles linked to Chaudhary. A comparison of those images with CCTV footage from the fort showing a hooded individual in the area helped police narrow their focus on him,” he said.

Eloping would bring ‘disrespect’

He added that based on the technical evidence and intelligence gathered by the Lonavala Rural Police Station and the Local Crime Branch (LCB), teams traced and detained Chetan for questioning. “During interrogation, we connected all the dots, which revealed a premeditated conspiracy involving Siya and Chetan,” he said.

Also read: Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Planning, execution, and how case was cracked

Police said the motive appeared to stem from Siya’s relationship with Chetan and her unwillingness to proceed with the marriage to Ketan. They considered Ketan an obstacle to their relationship.

“During the interrogation, Chetan was asked why they did not consider running away and instead chose to eliminate Ketan. According to him, Siya was not in favour of calling off the engagement and eloping with Chetan, as she thought doing so would bring disrespect to her family,” he said.

Birthday plan

That is why the two allegedly conspired to eliminate Ketan. After her previous attempt failed, Siya once again dragged Ketan to Lohagad on June 18, this time on the pretext of celebrating her birthday. And this time, Siya and Chetan carried out their diabolical plan.

“Our investigation found that Chetan had reached the fort before the couple arrived. He subsequently followed them to an isolated spot, where he and Siya allegedly pushed Ketan into the valley, resulting in his death,” an officer said.

Police subsequently arrested both Siya and Chetan and booked them on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

A life cut short

Ketan, a resident of Gahunje in Pune district, was a director and chief marketing officer of Success Group, the family-run real estate business. He had done MS in Entrepreneurship, while Siya held a degree in commerce from a private college. According to police, the Goyal and Chaudhary families were involved in the business of spices and dry fruits.

Siya and Chetan were produced in a court in Maval taluka in Pune district on Tuesday, which remanded them in police custody till June 29.

Lohagad Fort is linked to the history of the Maratha Empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is one of the 12 forts in Maharashtra that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(With agency inputs)