Siyas Brother Was Aware Of Her Relationship With Chetan Police

Police probing the Lohagad Fort death case on Friday said Sahil Goyal, brother of accused Siya Goyal, had advised her to distance herself from her alleged friend Chetan Chaudhary as she was set to marry Ketan Agarwal.

Ketan, a Pune-based director of a real estate firm, died on June 18 after falling from Lohagad Fort. Police are investigating the case as a suspected murder. His fiancee, Siya, and her friend, Chetan, have been arrested and are in police custody as the investigation continues.

Investigators questioned Sahil for more than ten hours on Friday. They sought details about when he became aware of Siya’s relationship with Chetan and whether other members of the Goyal family knew about it.

“Sahil told us he had learnt about Siya and Chetan’s relationship several months ago. Concerned about its implications, he advised his sister to end the relationship since she was already engaged to Ketan,” police sources said.

According to investigators, Sahil and Chetan became acquainted in 2024 through their shared interest in cricket.

“They used to play cricket together, and later Chetan befriended Siya through Sahil,” police sources said.

Police are examining whether the Goyal family noticed any warning signs before the alleged conspiracy unfolded.

So far, Pune Rural Police have recorded statements of 10 people, including Neeraj Kumar, an employee at Chetan’s shop. Investigators have also taken family members of both the accused and the victim to the scene to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to Ketan’s death.

According to the investigation, Siya and Chetan allegedly remained in a close relationship despite preparations for Siya’s marriage to Ketan.

During custodial interrogation, both Siya and Chetan have reportedly blamed each other for the murder, prompting investigators to rely heavily on forensic evidence, digital records and witness statements to establish the sequence of events.

Police sources said Siya was reportedly reluctant to marry Ketan after learning that he wore a wig because of baldness.

They added that Ketan had undergone expensive hair treatment for his hair-loss condition. Ketan’s family has claimed that the Goyal family had been informed that he wore a small hair patch.

Accused deleted chats, emptied recycle bins

The investigation intensified after the police found that Siya and Chetan had allegedly deleted their phone chat history and cleared the recycle bins before and after the crime, officials said on Friday.

The mobile phones have been sent to a forensic laboratory to recover the deleted data.

Gajanan Tonpe, deputy superintendent of police, Lonavla division, said investigators have established the active roles of both accused.

The case has drawn the attention of the state government, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis meeting Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, in Pune on Friday and assuring the family of full support.

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis described the incident as shocking and said it reflected a disturbing social trend.

“It is an extremely shocking and incomprehensible incident. As a society, we need to reflect on why educated young men and women from good families develop such criminal intent and a desire for revenge. This is not merely a criminal issue; it also has a social angle,” he said.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister’s Office said Vishal had sought justice for his son during the meeting. “We are committed to ensuring that the guilty in this case receive the harshest punishment,” the post said, adding that the chief minister assured the family that no stone would be left unturned in securing justice.

The chief minister also approved the establishment of a fast-track court for the case to ensure an expedited trial. He accepted the family’s request to appoint senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor. Officials confirmed that Nikam has given his consent to represent the state.