A man wearing a hoodie on a 33-degree summer morning captured in CCTV footage has become the key clue that helped Maharashtra police in Pune unravel the circumstances of the death of 25-year-old businessman Ketan Vishal Agarwal in Lohagad Fort, which was initially reported as an accidental fall but later turned into a suspected murder plot involving his fiancée Siya Goyal and her friend Chetan Chaudhary.
The first breakthrough came when investigators began to question the circumstances surrounding Ketan’s fall on June 18. His family has raised doubts about the accidental death theory, pointing out that Ketan was an experienced traveler and familiar with the terrain of Lohagad Fort, HT reported earlier.
Ketan, a resident of Lodha Belmondo in Gahungi and heiress to family-run real estate company Success Group, visited Lohagad Fort on June 18 with Sia as part of her birthday celebrations. Sia initially told police that Ketan slipped and fell while taking photos near the fort.
CCTV footage of the lid being blown
An accidental death report was initially registered, but investigators began examining CCTV footage and movements of people around the fort on the day of the incident.
The search led police to a suspicious person who was arrested near the foothills of Lohagad, a man wearing a hoodie despite the hot weather.
The earlier report quoted Dinesh Tayadi of Lonavala Rural Police as saying, “When we checked the temperature on June 18, the temperature was 33 degrees Celsius that morning. While checking CCTV footage from the hillsides, we noticed a person wearing a jacket with his head covered and also wearing headphones. This raises suspicions as such clothing was unusual considering the weather conditions.”
The person was later identified as Chetan Chaudhary, who police allege was involved in the murder conspiracy. Investigators found that Chaudhary tried to avoid detection by leaving his mobile phone at his residence in Kondhwa instead of carrying it to Lohagad.
Police traced CCTV footage, checked phone locations and questioned Chaudhary and Sia. Police said that during ongoing investigations, the two confessed to committing the crime.
Sia and Chetan’s “relationship” accused
The investigation revealed that Siya and Chetan had known each other for about a year and were allegedly in a relationship. Siya, 20, a resident of Market Yard in Pune, is the daughter of businessman Praveen Goyal, associated with the spice and dry fruits trade. Chaudhary, 22, a resident of Barshwanagar in Kondhwa, helps his family in the wholesale and retail grocery business at Market Yard.
The police said that the families of the accused got to know them through business circles.
As mentioned above in this report, Ketan was a director of Success Group, a family-run company involved in industrial development and warehousing. He earned a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business in Boston in 2023 and joined the family business the same year.
He and Sia got engaged in February, and the wedding was scheduled for November. According to police sources, the families had booked a palace in Udaipur for the celebration and were expected to spend around Rs 14 crore on the celebrations.
Investigators said the alleged conspiracy developed as Sia and Chaudhry continued their relationship despite her engagement to Ketan.
The day of the murder
According to police investigations, Chaudhary reached Lohagad Fort before Ketan and Sia on June 18. He allegedly followed the couple to an isolated location where he and Siya pushed Ketan into the ravine, leading to his death.
The investigation also concluded that this was Siya’s second attempt to kill Ketan, who survived the first alleged murder attempt four days before his death. The failed attempt also reportedly happened during the Lohagad trip, the first for the couple, where Sia allegedly pushed Ketan and claimed it was to save him from a snake.
“During sustained interrogation and examination of evidence, including call detail records, phone locations and messages, the accused confessed to conspiring to eliminate Ketan Agarwal,” Pune Rural Police Superintendent Sandeep Singh Gill said.
Police said Chaudhary was arrested first, while Siya was arrested later based on information obtained during his interrogation. A case has been registered under provisions relating to murder and criminal conspiracy of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
