PUNE: New details have emerged in the investigation into the alleged murder of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, with police claiming the killing was carried out under a carefully planned conspiracy allegedly involving his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her alleged partner, Chetan Chaudhary, Indian media reported on Monday.
According to investigators, the two had agreed on a pre-arranged signal before the incident at Lohagad Fort on June 18. Police allege that Goyal was instructed to sit down—either pretending to tie her shoelaces or stopping to drink water—to signal Chaudhary to carry out the attack.
Investigators believe the alleged signal served a dual purpose. Besides alerting Chaudhary, police claim it was intended to ensure Goyal remained at a safe distance from Agarwal. Officials suspect the accused feared that if Agarwal attempted to grab someone while falling into the gorge, Goyal could also be pulled over the edge.
Police further alleged that Chaudhary deliberately avoided travelling by car on the day of the incident to minimise the chances of leaving a digital or toll plaza trail. Instead, investigators say he rode a scooter from Pune to Lohagad Fort and returned on the same vehicle after the alleged crime. The scooter has since been seized as part of the investigation.
Another aspect under investigation is Chaudhary’s clothing. According to police, he climbed the fort wearing a hooded sweatshirt before changing into a black T-shirt while at the site. He allegedly put the hoodie back on before leaving, a move investigators believe was intended to make identification through witnesses or surveillance footage more difficult.
Read more: Siya Goyal took 1 Crore from Ketan Agarwal, gave it to BF Chetan: report
On Sunday, Pune Rural Police conducted a detailed crime reconstruction at Lohagad Fort with Goyal present. Investigators recreated the sequence of events using a dummy at the cliff from which Agarwal allegedly fell.
During questioning, the accused allegedly told police they had visited Lohagad Fort on previous occasions to identify a suitable location for the crime.