The Hoodie Clue and Failed Attempts: How Police Unravelled the Chilling Murder of Pune Realtor Ketan Agarwal at Lohagad Fort
A Picture-Perfect Love Masking Betrayal
Ketan Agarwal was a 26-year-old real estate executive. He served as chief marketing officer at Success Group. He believed he was celebrating a romantic milestone. Consequently, he accompanied his fiancée, Siya Goyal, on a birthday trek. They hiked up to Lohagad Fort near Pune. Engaged since February 2026, the couple planned to tie the knot in November. The family had already started lavish wedding preparations, which included booking a luxury palace in Jaipur for ₹17 crore and arranging private aircraft for incoming guests.
Behind the social media romance, however, lay a calculated plot. Investigators revealed that Goyal was in a relationship with 22-year-old Chetan Chaudhary and was vehemently opposed to the arranged marriage. Fearing social disrespect to her family if she called off the high-profile engagement, she allegedly chose a deadly alternative over eloping.
The “Snake” Alibi and Previous Attempts
The tragic fall on June 18 was not the first attempt on Ketan’s life. According to a formal complaint filed by Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, the duo had executed a multi-layered plan to eliminate him:
- The Stolen Passport: The couple was initially supposed to fly out on a pre-wedding vacation to Bali, but Ketan’s passport mysteriously vanished from his bag at the airport, forcing a cancellation.
- The June 14 Push: After the cancelled flight, Goyal insisted on going to Lohagad Fort. During that trip, she reportedly pushed Ketan near the edge. He miraculously survived by clutching nearby bushes and trees. When questioned, Goyal manufactured a false panic alarm, claiming she saw a snake and accidentally bumped into him while trying to protect him.
- Goyal and her accomplice , Chetan Chaudhary, lured Ketan back under the pretext of her birthday outing. They cornered him at 10:30 AM. Finally, the duo pushed him 400 feet down into the valley from Lohagad Fort. Goyal then called for help, claiming he slipped while taking pictures.
How a Hoodie in the Summer Heat Cracked the Case
The Lonavala Rural Police and Local Crime Branch initially registered an accidental death. However, sharp suspicion arose from Ketan’s sister, who noticed deeply inconsistent behavior from Goyal during post-funeral family visits.
The critical breakthrough came via CCTV footage from the fort’s ticket counter. On a boiling 33°C June morning, a man was spotted walking closely behind the couple wearing a heavy winter hoodie and a face mask.
Technical tracking and mobile tower data analysis later identified the hooded figure as Chetan Chaudhary. To evade digital forensics, Chaudhary had intentionally left his smartphone behind at his workplace and used a coworker’s phone to coordinate with Goyal. Confronted with this evidence during intense questioning, the duo confessed to criminal conspiracy and premeditated murder.
Conclusion
The horrific betrayal has sent shockwaves through Pune’s corporate and real estate circles. Pune Rural Police Superintendent Sandeep Singh Gill confirmed the registration of a murder and conspiracy case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Consequently, a local court remanded both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary in seven days’ police custody until June 29. What began as a grand fairy-tale wedding sequence concluded in a chilling, premeditated tragedy at one of Maharashtra’s iconic heritage sites.