What began as a suspected trekking accident has turned into a chilling murder case, with investigators alleging that 26-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal was killed by his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her lover just months before the couple's lavish wedding. Ketan's family had reportedly booked a Rs 17-crore palace in Jaipur for the ceremony, which was scheduled for November.
Ketan, son of prominent Pune businessman Vishal Agarwal, was a director and chief marketing officer of the family's real estate venture, Success Group. He and Siya had already gotten engaged and were preparing for an extravagant wedding. The couple had also planned a pre-wedding photoshoot in Bali, but the trip was cancelled after Ketan's passport mysteriously went missing shortly before their departure.
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On June 18, Ketan and Siya went trekking to Lohagad Fort near Pune. Initially, Siya told police that Ketan had slipped while posing for photographs and fallen into a gorge. The incident was treated as an accidental death, and sympathy poured in for the bride-to-be, who even shared an emotional post on social media after the tragedy.
However, investigators later claimed that the fall was no accident. According to Pune Rural Police, Siya and her alleged boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary, conspired to kill Ketan and pushed him into the valley before trying to pass off the death as a mishap. Both have since been arrested.
Police said the conspiracy had been in the making for weeks. Investigators claim Siya had earlier taken Ketan to Lohagad Fort on May 31 and again on June 14, allegedly attempting to kill him during one of those visits but failing. Despite these repeated trips, Ketan reportedly never suspected that his fiancée was plotting against him.
The case has drawn comparisons with the Raja Raghuvanshi murder, where the victim was allegedly killed after marriage. In Ketan's case, police say the murder occurred before the wedding, ending what his family had envisioned as a grand celebration.
Speaking after the arrests, Ketan's grieving father questioned why Siya allegedly resorted to murder. "She could have simply refused the marriage. Why did she have to kill my son?" he said.