A new angle has emerged in the alleged murder of Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal, with reports claiming that his fiancée, Sia Goyal, did not like him because he was wearing a wig. However, police on Friday said that though Agarwal was wearing a hair patch, it cannot be said that this was the sole reason behind the alleged plot to kill him.
The development comes at a time when investigators have claimed that it was co-accused Chetan Chaudhary who allegedly instigated Siya to eliminate Ketan, whom the two saw as an obstacle to their relationship.
What is the wig controversy?
A police source told PTI that Ketan wore a wig but said investigators did not find any evidence to suggest that this was the only factor behind Siya’s alleged hatred for him.
Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, said that the family was transparent about the issue from the beginning and informed Sia and her family before the engagement was completed.
“It’s true that Ketan wore a small patch of wig. Siya and her family were informed of this before the engagement. If she had any problems, she should have said no. What was the need to kill my son?” Vishal Agarwal told reporters.
Police believe that the motive behind the crime was rooted in Sia’s relationship with Chetan and her unwillingness to go ahead with the marriage.
Police allege that Chetan “instigated” Sia
The ongoing investigation has revealed that it was Chetan who encouraged Siya to eliminate her fiancé, a police official claimed on Friday.
“Through interrogation of the accused, it was found that Chaudhary was the one who instigated Siya Goyal to eliminate Agarwal at Lohagad Fort,” the official said.
Police had earlier said that during separate interrogations, both Sia and Chetan tried to blame each other before eventually confessing to their roles in the conspiracy.
Investigators alleged that the duo, who had been in a relationship since October 2025, chose murder rather than escape because they feared eloping together would damage their family’s reputation.
How the alleged murder unfolded
According to investigators, the murder was carefully planned over several weeks and included several failed attempts before June 18.
Police allege that Siya had earlier taken Ketan to Lohagad Fort on May 31 and June 14 with the intention of killing him, but the plans did not work out. Another proposed visit on June 4 was canceled after Ketan’s mother refused permission.
Read also- A trip to Bali, a missing passport and a hood in the heat: How cops caught the Pune man’s killers
On June 18, police allege Siya gave Chetan a predetermined signal to sit near the edge of the cliff, after which Chetan approached and pushed the unsuspecting Ketan into the valley below.
An officer involved in the investigation earlier said: “Ketan had no idea what was going to happen. He was pushed into the valley before he realized anything.”
Investigators also alleged that Sia sabotaged the planned pre-wedding photo shoot in Bali by secretly taking Ketan’s passport to prevent the trip from going ahead.
Call detail records analyzed by police showed that Sia and Chetan exchanged more than 2,000 calls over the past year while their relationship continued in secret.
Ketan and Sia got engaged on February 19 after their families met at a wedding in Karnataka earlier that month. They were scheduled to marry later this year in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Sia’s family disputes parts of the police story
Meanwhile, Sia’s mother claimed that her daughter was reluctant to visit Lohagad Fort on June 18 and agreed only after repeated requests from Ketan and his mother.
“On the evening of June 17, Siya and Ketan had a video call during which Ketan asked her to accompany him to Lohagad. During the call, Ketan’s mother also urged Siya to go with him. Siya told her that she wanted to rest as there was a job the next day,” the statement said.
Sia’s father also denied reports that the two families arranged a lavish wedding that included booking a palace and a chartered plane.
“It is true that the wedding was to be held in Udaipur. The hotel was packed $81,000 per couple per day and we have booked 70 rooms. Our total spending on the wedding was no more than $He said Rs 3 crore.
Speedy trial, Ujjwal Nikam as prosecutor
In a significant development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Ketan’s father in Pune on Friday and accepted the family’s request for a speedy trial in court.
The state government also agreed to appoint noted lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor in the case.
Speaking after the meeting, Fadnavis said the case indicates a worrying social trend.
“We need to think about why educated young men and women from good families develop such criminal intent and desire for revenge. This is not just a criminal case, it also has a social angle. Society must create a strong support system to ensure that such revenge thinking does not develop among the youth,” he said.
