Pune Murder Accused Siya Goyal Made Fake Instagram ID To Lure Fiance To Fort

The police have filed a 5,053-page chargesheet in a Pune court on Saturday in the sensational Ketan Agarwal murder case, detailing the alleged conspiracy behind the death of the 26-year-old businessman at Lohagad Fort in June.

Agarwal died after being pushed off the fort on June 18, following which his fiancee, Siya Goyal, her lover, Chetan Chaudhary, and another accused, identified as Ritesh Hange, were arrested. Ketan and Siya, both from Pune, got engaged in February and were scheduled to get married in a grand ceremony in Jaipur in November.

Chetan Chaudhary

According to the chargesheet, the accused initially discussed seriously injuring Agarwal and explored the possibility of hiring someone from outside Maharashtra to carry out the attack.

Police claimed the plan was later dropped because they feared the person hired could expose the conspiracy or create problems for them. Investigators said that a person contacted during this stage has since become a witness.

As per the chargesheet, they subsequently decided to kill Agarwal themselves and watched murder films and used ChatGPT for the purpose. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police as part of their preparations.

They also researched the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case involving Raja Raghuvanshi. Raghuvanshi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh's Indore, was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during the couple's honeymoon in Meghalaya in May last year.

Lohagad Selected After Recce

Investigators said the accused conducted a recce of locations around Lonavala before selecting Lohagad Fort.

According to the chargesheet, Goyal and Chaudhary visited Tiger Point and other locations in search of an isolated spot.

Police said that Lohagad was eventually selected because a death at the fort in March last year -- in which a woman lost her life -- could make Agarwal's death appear like an accidental fall.

The accused allegedly selected Lohagad believing Agarwal's death could be mistaken for an accidental fall while taking a selfie.

A Failed Attempt

The chargesheet said that Siya Goyal and Ketan Agarwal had also visited Lohagad on June 14.

On that day, she allegedly tried to push Ketan off the cliff. He, however, managed to hold on to a tree and survived.

When he asked why he had been pushed, she said she saw a snake and tried to make it appear that she had protected him.

As per the chargesheet, Goyal had also insisted on visiting the fort on June 4, as the accused wanted to execute the murder before a planned trip to Bali.

On June 6, while travelling for a pre-wedding photoshoot, she allegedly tore Agarwal's passport and discarded it in a washroom at a cafe, preventing the trip from taking place, as per the chargesheet.

A Fake Instagram Account

Investigators also said that a fake Instagram account named 'Mahi' was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused.

Messages from the account encouraged Agarwal to visit Lohagad on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan involving Goyal.

According to the chargesheet, the fake account was part of a plan devised by Ritesh Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the incident.

How Ketan Agarwal Was Pushed

On June 18, Chaudhary reached the fort through an exit route and later joined Goyal after receiving a signal from her.

When Agarwal's attention was diverted, Goyal pushed him from behind.

Police said that Chaudhary kicked Agarwal, causing him to fall from the fort.

The police have cited statements of over 100 people, including five eyewitnesses, in the chargesheet. They have also submitted mobile phone data, WhatsApp chats, photographs, call detail records, and technical analysis as part of the evidence.