The investigation into the sensational murder of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal has uncovered what investigators describe as a meticulously planned conspiracy involving secret phone calls, deleted chats, failed murder attempts, digital deception and carefully constructed alibis.
The latest findings by the Pune Rural Police suggest that the alleged murder of the 25-year-old was neither impulsive nor accidental, but the culmination of months of planning by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary.
The Final Call
One of the most significant pieces of evidence to emerge is a phone call made just 34 minutes before Ketan Agarwal was allegedly murdered. Where was Ketan when Siya made this call to Chetan?
According to police sources, forensic examination of the mobile phones of Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary revealed that the two spoke shortly before the incident at Lohagad Fort on June 18. Investigation into this call may reveal many important details, the police believe.
Investigators believe this was the final confirmation call before the alleged murder.
Police suspect Siya informed Chetan about her exact location near an isolated viewpoint on the fort and confirmed that there were no tourists nearby, effectively signalling that everything was in place.
The call is now being treated as one of the strongest pieces of digital evidence supporting the prosecution’s theory of a pre-planned conspiracy.
Three Months of Deleted Conversations
The investigation has also revealed what police describe as an extensive effort to erase the digital trail.
According to investigators, Siya and Chetan allegedly deleted WhatsApp chats, Instagram conversations, voice notes and other communications exchanged over nearly three months.
Police suspect the deletions were carried out deliberately to destroy evidence relating to the planning of the murder.
Cyber forensic experts are currently attempting to recover the deleted material.
Investigators are also analysing internet protocol (IP) addresses, mobile location logs, deleted files and recovered chat histories to reconstruct the timeline of the conspiracy.
The recovered digital evidence is expected to form a crucial part of the prosecution’s case under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, dealing with murder.
Murder Plan Began Weeks Earlier
Police now believe the conspiracy was finalised by the end of May.
According to sources, June 18 was not the first attempt to eliminate Ketan.
Investigators claim Siya had earlier tried to push him off a cliff during a visit to Lohagad Fort on June 14.
However, Ketan allegedly managed to save himself by grabbing hold of nearby bushes.
Police say Siya then fabricated a story claiming she accidentally pushed him while reacting to a snake, thereby preventing suspicion from falling on her.
After the failed attempt, investigators believe the couple revised their strategy.
This time, Chetan would be physically present to ensure Ketan had no opportunity to survive.
Chetan’s Alleged ‘Ghost Strategy’
Investigators have pieced together what they describe as Chetan Chaudhary’s elaborate effort to disappear from the digital map on the day of the murder.
Police allege that at around 7 am, Chetan deliberately switched off his mobile internet, preventing telecom towers from continuously recording his movement towards Lohagad Fort.
About an hour later, investigators say he left his personal smartphone at his shop and instructed employees to answer incoming calls so that anyone trying to reach him would believe he was still at work.
Instead of carrying his own phone, police claim Chetan borrowed an employee’s handset to make essential calls during his journey.
Investigators have described this as an attempt to create a false alibi while remaining digitally invisible.
Hoodie in 33-Degree Heat
Police say CCTV footage later exposed another alleged attempt to conceal his identity.
Despite temperatures touching 33 degrees Celsius, investigators claim Chetan climbed the fort wearing a thick winter hoodie to avoid being recognised by security cameras and eyewitnesses.
Ironically, the unusual clothing is now believed to have made him even more noticeable.
The Alleged Murder
According to investigators, Siya and Ketan reached a secluded spot near the Vinchu Kata ridge.
Police allege that once they arrived, Siya sat down—a pre-decided visual signal indicating that the area was clear.
Chetan, who had allegedly been following them from a distance, then emerged from hiding.
Investigators claim he pushed Ketan nearly 400 feet into the gorge, causing fatal injuries.
The Digital Blackout Ends
Police say Chetan remained completely offline for almost 10 hours and 40 minutes.
At approximately 5.40 pm, investigators allege he switched his internet connection back on, believing his elaborate cover-up had succeeded.
However, according to police, the prolonged digital blackout itself raised suspicion.
Combined with CCTV footage, witness statements and telecom records, investigators say the strategy ultimately strengthened the prosecution’s case instead of protecting him.
How the Investigation Unravelled the Alibi
The alleged alibi gradually began to collapse.
Police reportedly confirmed that while Chetan’s personal phone remained at his shop, employees—not Chetan himself—were answering incoming calls.
Technical surveillance, CCTV footage and location analysis further suggested he had travelled towards Lohagad despite appearing digitally absent.
Investigators are now using these findings to establish his physical presence at the crime scene.
The Café Meeting
Another key focus of the investigation is a meeting between Siya and Chetan a day before the murder.
According to police, the two met at a café in Pune’s Lullanagar area on June 17 and spent nearly an hour together between 4.30 pm and 5.30 pm.
Investigators are examining whether final details of the alleged murder conspiracy were discussed during this meeting.
‘She Never Told Us’
Meanwhile, statements made by both families have added another dimension to the case.
During questioning, Siya’s elder brother Sahil Goel reportedly told police that his sister never informed the family she opposed the marriage.
According to investigators, Sahil said the family would not have objected had Siya expressed her wish to marry Chetan.
“Why would we object? He belongs to the same community, comes from a business family and is equally well-off,” he reportedly told investigators.
Ketan’s family has made similar claims.
His father has maintained that they were never informed Siya was unwilling to marry his son.
“We could have found another girl for our son,” he reportedly told investigators.
‘Killing Him Was Easier’
Investigators also claim Siya told police during custodial interrogation that killing Ketan appeared easier than telling her parents she did not wish to marry him.
Police allege she feared disappointing her family and therefore concealed her relationship with Chetan while allowing wedding preparations to continue.
The marriage had reportedly been scheduled for November.
From Engagement to Murder
According to the investigation, Ketan left home on the morning of June 18 and picked up Siya near the Kiwale bridge on the Pune-Mumbai Highway before the two drove to Lohagad Fort.
At around 10.45 am, Siya allegedly telephoned Ketan’s mother claiming he had accidentally fallen into the gorge.
Local residents and police personnel later rescued Ketan and shifted him to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Initially treated as a tragic accident, the case took a dramatic turn after Ketan’s father, Vishal Devichand Agarwal, and other family members revisited the site on June 21.
After inspecting the cliff with Ketan’s friends Navdeep Jindal and Tarun Mittal, the family concluded that an accidental fall was highly unlikely.
Their suspicions eventually led to the registration of an FIR accusing Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary of murdering Ketan by pushing him off the cliff.
As police continue to recover deleted data, reconstruct digital evidence and verify witness accounts, investigators believe the combination of the final phone call, erased conversations, failed earlier attempts and the alleged “ghost strategy” could become the backbone of the prosecution’s case in one of Maharashtra’s most chilling murder investigations.
Also Read: ‘It Was Her Plan; No, It Was His’: Siya, Chetan Shift Blame In Murder Case https://www.vibesofindia.com/siya-chetan-shift-blame-ketan-agarwal-murder-case/
